Sweeter Than Anything
by unicornhime
Summary: Edward and Jasper search for the scents that sing to them and then share them with the world in the form of renowned perfumes. But more than anything, what makes these perfumes precious is the secret ingredient that either man would take to the grave.
1. Chapter 1

_Hello! It's time a for a new fic from me. I hope you enjoy it, and I will warn you now, that it is very different from Red Strings of Fate. Also, as fair warning, I just moved to Japan, so I may update at odd times or intervals for awhile until I completely adjust.  
_

_A million thanks to Anechka86 for being a great beta and fantastically supportive of my writing process, and many thanks to Adair7 for being my beta reader. _

_Disclaimer: Characters belong to SMeyer, I'm just playing with them._

_**PLEASE READ: I accidentally uploaded the wrong version. If you read when I first published, please reread the chapter as there are differences. If not, please ignore this message. :) Sorry about that.**  
_

* * *

_Sweeter Than Anything_

_Edward and Jasper search for the scents that sing to them in order to share them with the world in the form of renowned perfumes. But more than anything, what makes these perfumes precious is the secret ingredient that either man would take to the grave with him.  
_

**Chapter One **

**Fourth Girl Abducted This Month,** the headlines called in bold black and white. The recent outbreak of missing girls was splashed across the cover of every front page, despite the complete lack of any leads. Edward tucked the newspaper under his arm as he paid the vendor and dashed out from the under the morning mist and into the small store where he worked. Glistening bottles of every size lined the walls and counters, filled with some of the most expensive scents and perfumes in the country. Among these diamonds of bottles, you would never find the penny bottles. These were the best of the best, and Edward was only one of their makers.

Edward Masen was only part of the equation that was Cantante Parfumerie . His partner, Jasper Whitlock, was the mastermind that took Edward in under his wing. Jasper was also new to the perfume business, but he hadsomehow discovered a method or ingredient that produced undeniably remarkable results.

"Morning, Jasper," Edward called as the tinkling bell announced his entrance. His voice was still deep with sleep and he stifled a yawn, groaning.

Jasper looked up from the counter where he was working on his laptop, "Morning." He rolled his eyes at the paper in Edward's arms. "Why do you still get the printed version? You can get the same information online for free."

"I like to be able to physically hold it," Edward shrugged. "Makes it seem more real to me, I don't know."

"Anything good this morning?"

"That depends on your definition of good," Edward said and spread the paper out on the counter, so he could read it. "Looks like there's another girl missing, from the same part of town where your little Alice lives."

"I heard about that," he pointed to his screen, "Strange. It's not a bad part of town." Jasper didn't seem troubled, though.

Edward eyed him curiously, "You're not worried about her?"

He shrugged. "Not particularly. You know her, if it's not in her plans, it doesn't happen. And I highly doubt she's made any plans to get abducted."

Edward chuckled. "Fair enough."

The bell above the door chimed, signaling a customer, and the two men got to work.

The shop was founded only a short time ago. Jasper's family had been in the perfume industry as well, which was how he was first introduced to the process, and he began work with his father. After Jasper's discovery, business exploded and he dropped out of school and became a partner in the family business.

Tragically, a short time later his parents died in a car accident. They had been driving to the coast to meet some friends for the weekend, despite the poor weather, and they drove off a bridge and drowned. Jasper miraculously survived and inherited everything, taking over the shop and the manufacturing of any new scents.

When he met Edward, Jasper's career was still on the rise and he was looking to expand. Edward was a simple clerk in the shop, working to pay his way through school. Ever curious, Edward began to dabble in perfume-making himself, and with the Jasper's tutelage, produced  
remarkable scents as well.

They usually maintained a steady flow of business throughout the day, even if they didn't make a sale with every visitor. Many women came in just to sample the smells or simply to gawk at the two owners, for both men were very attractive, albeit in different ways.

Jasper was the fairer of the two, with blonde hair and pale blue eyes. He had a broad, open face that invited people in and an easy smile. He could make conversation with anyone and put even the stodgiest man at ease. He was well-respected and a prominent member of society, even if her tended to keep to himself outside of the shop.

Edward on the other hand, had darker hair with a hint of copper in the sunlight and dark green eyes. He was a very private man and rarely spoke about anything other than business except with the few privileged that he considered friends. Regardless , he knew how to be charming and polite and he broke more than his fair share of hearts among the young women of the city.

One of those unfortunate women was Bella Swan, though she had never set foot inside the little shop. She was a shy girl of only 17, who kept close to home. Her father was the Police Chief, and preferred to know Bella's whereabouts at all times. Having been privy to some of Seattle's more gruesome crimes, he'd grown somewhat over-protective, though he always meant well. He had several pairs of eyes that watched his daughter on his behalf, and nothing happened to or around her without his knowing. And since he frowned at any opportunity for Bella to be alone and vulnerable, she had very few opportunities to wander the city and encounter Edward.

But today was going to be different. With birthday money burning a hole in her pocket, and her father's rare encouragement to buy something nice for herself, she set out for Cantante Parfumerie. Today, she was going to meet Edward Masen.

The bell chimed as Bella timidly pushed open the door.

"Welcome to Cantane Parfumerie ," Edward called reflexively, his back still turned to her as he finished lining up bottles of their signature scent, Maria. Each of their scents were named after a women. In Jasper's words, "The women are the key, the inspiration, and the secret."

"Can I help you with anything today?" He put on his charming smile and turned to face her.

Bella froze like a mouse caught in the eyes of a rattlesnake. She thought she'd be prepared, that there was no way Edward Masen lived up to the rumors, but she was mistaken. "I'm, um, just browsing," she squeaked.

But Edward was likewise hypnotized. As he slowly made his way toward the timid girl, he breathed in. "Oh, beautiful girl, I always hate to say this, but you don't need any perfume from me. What you're wearing now is perfect for you."

Bella blushed hotly, "I'm not wearing anything." As her words echoed back at her, her blush deepened, spreading down her neck and to her ear. "I mean, not wearing any perfume," she clarified.

"Then you were blessed with one of the most beautiful natural scents I've ever encountered!" Edward said.

"I'm sure you're exaggerating," Belle muttered. "Or else insane." She was suddenly alarming aware of the fact that when she planned to meet Edward Masen, she had not planned what to do should she accomplish that first task.

"Promise, I am not." Edward smiled warmly. "In fact, I can tell you right now that you are going to be the inspiration for my newest scent. I'm Edward, by the way."

"Isabella. Or Bella, for short. Most people call me Bella."

"Isabella," Edward tried the name out, and Bella fought back the shivers it gave her. "Perfect."

"Thank you." Bella was suddenly quite aware of the fact that they were the only two people in the shop, a rarity for that time of day. She shifted her weight awkwardly, unsure of what to do next.

"Do I have to do anything?" She asked after a moment. "As an inspiration, I mean?"

"You'll have to have dinner with me, tonight," Edward answered, looking at her intently. "And I won't take no for an answer."

"Tonight?" Bella thought nervously. "Actually, um, I don't know if that will work."

"And why not?" He sounded indignant. It wasn't often a women turned him down.

"Today is actually my birthday," she explained, "And I'm sure my dad wanted to take me out tonight."

"Ah," Edward considered this, frowning. "I'd hate to steal a daughter away from her father on her birthday. Tomorrow, then."

"I'll see what I can do."

"It's a date," he grinned widely, all white teeth and sparkling eyes.

The doors chimed again, signaling another customer's approach. Edward glanced in her direction, scrunched his face up in a split second of disgust, then turned back to Bella. "I'm very sorry, but that is a customer who most definitely needs the help of a perfume if she ever wants a man to come near her." Bella giggled as he winked conspiratorially. "Until tomorrow night, then?"

"Until tomorrow." He reached out to grasp her hand, then brought it to his lips in a gentle kiss before leaving her to tend to his newest and neediest customer.

Bella walked out of the shop, still in a daze. It wasn't until she was halfway home that she realized that not only did she still have her birthday money to spend , but that she had no idea where to meet Edward tomorrow or even how to contact him. She considered turning back to ask, but was too embarrassed. Sure she might have snagged a date with one of the city's most eligible bachelors, but she wasn't smart enough to get the details of said date? Ridiculous. She resolved to visit the shop again the next day in hopes of seeing him again under the guise of buying a gift for someone else perhaps.

That night at dinner, when her father asked her about her day, she found herself unwilling to share her good fortune with him.

"Did you have a good day today?" Chief Swan asked as he picked at his chef's salad. The chief was never one for fanciness nor did he prioritize healthy eating habits. He could have quite happily lived off of pizza, beer, and the occasional fish fry and McDonald's. Tonight, he felt that Bella deserved a first class meal, and chose an actual sit-down restaurant with three course meals.

Bella would have been just as happy at a low-key place, but didn't want to pop her father's balloon. "Yeah, it was pretty good."

"Did you buy yourself something nice? Since you wouldn't let me spoil my little girl?"

Bella rolled her eyes. "Dad. I looked, but I didn't find anything. I was planning to go out again tomorrow, maybe try some of the shops by that nice Thai place?"

"What do they have over there?"

She shrugged. "Nothing in particular, I just remember seeing some interesting things in that World Market over there."

"Oh. Well you know I'm on patrol tomorrow night, right? You'll be on your own for dinner, so maybe you can treat yourself to another nice meal if you're going to be in that area anyway."

"Maybe," she said noncommitedly as she took the last bit of her own salad.

At that moment, their waiter came by with their main courses and switched all topic of conversation to their meal.

Bella didn't know why she didn't tell Chief Swan about Edward. Since her mother had passed away when she was very young, she and her father were quite close. Bella didn't share every detail of her love life with him, but she usually kept him in the loop on things.

Perhaps because this new thing with Edward was so unexpected and unusual she wanted to keep it a secret until she was sure it was real. Better save herself the embarrassment for when it turned out to be a cruel joke.

That night, she fell asleep dreaming of what her date tomorrow would bring. She'd barely spoken to the man for all of five minutes and already he was taking over her subconscious and occupying her dreams. What would become of her after they actually went out?

She slept restlessly that night, wholly unprepared for what she was about to get herself into.

***

Edward, on the other hand knew exactly what he was doing and went straight to work as soon as there was a lull in business.

He spent as much time as possible in the basement of the shop where he and Jasper mixed their perfumes in progress. The process had been tattooed into his brain after so many applications.

First he needed to prepare the essentail oils that he planned to use.

He scanned the oils that he'd already prepared and kept in ready stock for the other scents that were still in production. These oils were kept in small vials and were clearly and neatly labeled in Edward's precise handwriting.

"Which one will best suit her..." He mumbled to himself.

The bell chimed from upstairs, interrupting his thoughts, and he grumbled to himself as he quickly climbed the stairs to assist the customer.

It was a girl in her late teens, holding a bright yellow clear cylinder that Edward could only assume was another brand of perfume. It was labled Pina Colada Party and had a cartoon coconut on the front.

"Can I help you?" he asked through gritted teeth, fighting to keep a warm expression.

"Um yeah," she said, holding the bottle up. "I bought this perfume from, uh, Walmart I think? And it doesn't last very long? Can you, like, make one that lasts longer? I mean, this one is really strong at first, but it fades like, really fast."

"Excuse me?" Edward dropped any attempt at a warm demeanor.

"You can do that right? Make custom bottles and stuff?"

"Get out of my store."

"What?"

"Get. Out. Of. My. Store."

Edward glared at her, spitting out each word like venom, but the girl wasn't backing down. If her request wasn't already a clear indication of her intelligence, Edward would've seriously questioned her ability to function.

"Excuse me, but I am a paying customer! You can't talk to me like that!" She shouted.

In one long stride, Edward appeared directly in front of her, snatched the bottle, and spoke in a low, clear voice. "This is not perfume. This is an insult to perfume. This synthetic poison is an insult to anyone with any sense of smell. The fact that you even _like_ this only shows that you are just as trashy and worthless as this peddled dog piss!"

With that, he threw it as hard as he could, ignoring it as it bounced twice, then rolled out of sight behind the register.

The girl stared at him open-mouthed, blinked, then spun on her heel and ran out the store.

Edward watched her go. Taking a deep breath, he walked calmly over to retrieve the offending bottle and toss it in the trash, then went back into the basement to resume his work. 


	2. Chapter 2

_Quick note - I accidentally uploaded the wrong document for the first chapter originally, so if you were one of the earlier readers, please go back and read the new chapter. All those stupid typos are gone and there are minor plot changes, too. I'm really sorry about that, and owe a huge THANK YOU to people who still alerted this story anyway. :) And of course, huge thank yous to Anechk86 and Adair7 for their help.  
_

_Now, on with the show!  
_

**Chapter Two**

Bella brushed through her hair with nervous trepidation as she got ready for her big date with Edward. She did end up dropping by the shop again earlier in the day, though it proved unnecessary. Right before she pushed open the door, her phone vibrated in her pocket, signaling an incoming text. With a glance at the bold "NO CELL PHONES" sign hanging in the window, she stayed outside to see who was trying to get a hold of her.

It was an unfamiliar number, and Bella frowned in confusion as she flipped the phone open. As she read, a silly grin quickly replaced her frown - it was from Edward.

_I didn't forget - I'll pick you up at your house tonight at 6. -Edward_

Bella didn't know what to make of that - how did Edward get both her number and address?

She jumped at as a tap on the window behind her startled her and turned to see the man himself grinning at her. He motioned for her to come in.

"Hey," he greeted her as the door swung shut behind her with the ever-cheery chime.

"Hey," she replied, somewhat hesitant. "How did you get my number?"

"I know how to work a Google search. And there are only so many Bella Swans with police chiefs as fathers."

"Oh. Okay then. I guess that's the same answer to how you'll know where to pick me up tonight, too, then?"

He laughed. "Yep."

"What else do you know about me?"

His grin turned a bit devilish. "That's for me to know and for you to find out."

He was called away by some other customers then, and Bella left with a brief wave goodbye.

When six o'clock rolled around, Bella was pacing anxiously in the kitchen, chewing on a pretzel stick to ease her nervous stomach. To make the first date jitters even worse, her father was sitting in his La-Z-Boy watching some football in the living room, excited to meet this new boy that had Bella all distracted.

To Bella, it was a disaster waiting to happen. So when the doorbell finally rang, she bolted to open the door before Charlie had a chance to stand. As soon as she caught sight of Edward again, the butterflies in her stomach started River-dancing in overtime.

"Hi," she managed to squeak out. "I have to warn you, my dad's here. He wanted to meet you."

Edward took it all in stride, and before anything else, greeted her. "You look lovely tonight, and still smell as wonderful as I remembered. And I'm not worried about meeting your dad if he's important to you. I want to meet him."

"You don't know what you're getting into," she warned.

"Bella, bring him in here," Charlie called, muting the game.

As Bella slowly led the way, Edward placed a hand at the small of her back with a gentle touch and whispered, "I'm not scared - bring it on."

It gave her some confidence. Then she noticed that his shotguns were out. I

"Dad, please tell me that's not what I think it is."

"I don't know what you mean," he said angelically, rotating his recliner. "Now, Edward. Tell me about yourself."

The two of them stood awkwardly as Charlie continued his interrogation, grilling him with rapid-fire questions, looking somewhat annoyed at the fact that Edward seemed to be doing so well. Apparently Edward's charm worked on fathers as well as impressionable young women.

"Okay, seriously now Dad. Enough of the big tough guy Dad act, we really should get going."

He grumbled a little, but stood to shake Edward's hand. "Take good care of my girl tonight, you hear me?"

"Of course sir, I'll be sure to take excellent care of her."

"That…went better than I anticipated," Bella admitted as she let Edward guide her out the door and into the passenger seat.

"What can I say, I make a good first impression."

Bella certainly couldn't deny that.

"So tell me how you got started making perfume," Bella asked, stabbing a tortellini with her fork.

Edward watched her lips as she popped the pasta in her mouth, slightly distracted. "I've always had a good sense of smell," he began, entranced by her throat and long slender neck as she swallowed. "It was really a matter of luck and chance that I got to work with Jasper.

"I was going to school and needed something to pay the bills."

"What field? And what about your parents?" Bella interrupted.

"Chemistry. And my parents died when I was young. I'm a child of the system," he grinned wryly. Bella winced, but before she could even open her mouth to apologize, Edward waved her words aside. "I was very young, I don't even remember them. When I turned 18, I left the foster house of the week and got my own place. I had some money from an inheritance that I got access to once I came of age, but it wasn't a lot. Just enough to get started, you know? So I started looking around for any odd-job, and on the word of a friend of a friend, found my way to Jasper.

"Before too long, I worked my way up from a simple store clerk to helping Jasper with mixing and prep work. I'd only taken some basic intro classes, but it was more than he'd taken, so I was able to refine the process a little. He said he could see me going far, and once I finished my first year, I took a break and haven't started back up after that."

He took a sip of his water. "And that pretty much brings us up to speed, I think."

Bella absorbed this new information, chewing thoughtfully. "Tell me about how you make perfume, I have to say I don't know anything about it. I mean, if I'm going to be your inspiration, I think I should know a least a little."

"Now don't be trying to steal our secrets," Edward teased.

Bella laughed, "Of course not. What would I do with your secrets?"

"Keep them safe." The air between them suddenly went serious for a moment as Edward fixed his gaze on hers, a sober expression on his face. Then he smiled slightly and the tension lifted as he shifted the topic back to a more desirable track.

"How is your sense of smell?"

"Um, average, I guess? I never really thought about it. I mean, how often does the average person actually use their sense of smell?"

"Ah, that is where you are mistaken, sweet Bella. When our dessert arrives, I will show you how powerful scent can be."

Bella shivered with anticipation.

"Meanwhile, it's your turn. Tell me your life story."

She shrugged, "I'm not very interesting. I'm going to school, undecided major. I got a scholarship, thankfully, so I'm not working. Since I'm living at home, I don't really have many expenses and I'd like to put off the real world for as long as possible, you know?"

"I can understand that," he chuckled. "The real world is a scary place."

He questioned her more about her likes and dislikes, hobbies and pet peeves, hanging on every word and making her feel like she was the center of his world.

At that moment, she was.

And if there was any doubt about that, it was certainly erased once dessert came. The restaurant was dimly lit with mood lighting, filled with couples and the odd lone drinker at the bar. They were famous for their chocolate and strawberry cheesecake, which Edward had taken the liberty of ordering for the two of them.

It arrive on two little white plates, drizzled in chocolate and topped with a dollop of whipped cream. Before Bella could take a bite, Edward held her hand back.

"First, I want you try it without using your sense of smell at all. So you can compare the difference."

"And how do you propose I do that?" She asked skeptically.

"Plug your nose," he grinned.

"I'll look stupid."

"You'll never look stupid, only lovely. Just do it, please."

Bella rolled her eyes, but did as instructed and took a bite. She cocked her head slightly, "That's different than I was expecting."

When she didn't elaborate, Edward prodded her. "How so?"

"I mean, I've heard raves about this stuff, but it doesn't taste like anything special to me. If anything, it's just like chewing plain cheesecake with just a hint of something else."

"Weird, isn't it? That's because your scent contributes seventy to seventy-five percent of what you think of as taste. In actuality, the tongue only detects whether something is sweet, sour, salty, or bitter. It's the anticipatory smell that gives you the real flavor."

"Huh."

"Now let's try something else. Close your eyes, please."

"Why?" She asked warily.

"Just trust me," he spoke in a low, smooth voice. "When your sight is taken away, your other senses elevate in order to compensate for the loss. Try to block out every sound except for my voice. Now take a deep breath. What can you smell?"

"Cigarette smoke," she replied cheekily and wrinkled her nose.

Edward rolled his eyes and portioned off another piece of cheesecake, balanced it on the fork, and held it directly in front of her nose. "Alright smarty, now what do you smell?"

"Mmm chocolate. Are you sure you didn't switch plates on me? Maybe I got a dud before."

"Hush. Now open wide. And no peeking."

He gently pressed the small morsel against her lips before they closed on the fork, pulling the dessert into Bella's mouth.

She moaned in delight. "There is no way that's the same piece of cake." She opened her eyes to glare accusingly at the offending dessert, but Edward's plate was untouched, and Bella's had at least two bites missing, if not more.

"You see what I mean? Scent is more powerful than people give it credit for."

"Remind me to believe you next time."

"Oh I'll be sure of it."

That tense energy was back, stretching out between the two and pulling them closer and closer like an overstretched rubber band. Edward slowly reached across the table. Bella's breath sped up, and she nearly choked on nothing when his skin made contact with her.

Of course, it was only to guide the hand holding her fork in his direction so he could steal a bite of her cheesecake, but it shocked her nevertheless. I

After the shock wore off, she laughed and called him a thief. He shrugged and they finished their dessert with wide smiles and doe eyes.

The end of the night came all too quickly for both of them. When Edward pulled into her driveway, he shifted into park and turned off the ignition, sending the sign that he didn't want to just drop Bella off and disappear into the night. Neither did he seem discouraged by the fact that even though it was near midnight, and the chief had a 6am shift, the living room light was still on and the flickering of the tv could be seen from the window.

"I need to see you again, soon," he said.

"Um, ok," Bella blushed.

"Tomorrow?"

"I don't know, actually. I do have school, you know. And I've kind of been distracted the past couple days - I need to catch up on some homework."

"Just stop by the shop then, whenever you can. I'll be there all day."

Bella smiled. "You never told me what I need to do as your inspiration, you know."

Edward leaned in very close and she knew from the way he was looking at her, from the way his eyes seemed just a little bit darker, and from the way his tongue darted out to moisten his lips, that he was going to kiss her. She wanted it to happen. She didn't care that she'd only met him the day before - there was something about him that just sucked her in.

As his lips came within an inch of her own, she closed her eyes and waited.

But instead of the pressure she expected on her lips, she felt it just on her chin. He pressed the softest of kisses against her throat and she gasped in surprise.

He pulled away and looked up at her, lust heavy in his eyes. "Just keep doing what you've been doing. Leave the rest to me."

And with that enigmatic statement, he pushed her door open and watched her walk up to the door on shaky legs, then sped back to the shop to work.

When Edward drew near the shop, he spied two figures approaching the back door. He peered through the darkness, suddenly on alert, his body preparing to attack should the figures prove to be unfriendly. He waited for them to make their move.

Then he relaxed.

The taller one pulled a key ring out of his pocket, and Edward realized it was Jasper. The smaller figure was probably Alice, then. Jasper liked to take girls to the basement when he was trying to impress them. Sometimes he even let them help prep.

As Jasper put it, free labor was free labor.

Edward shook his head and made his own way down to the basement with no qualms about interrupting. He had work to do, simple as that. And from the sound of things, Jasper had already gotten started on work of his own.

"Now, can you keep a secret?" Jasper's voice floated up the stairway as Edward descended.

"Oh, I love secrets!" the girl - Alice, as Edward had assumed - giggled excitedly.

Edward paused at the base of the stairs to watch Jasper's little show.

"This," Jasper placed his hand against the surface of a tall, cylindrical vat almost reverently, "is one the keys to our success. The so-called secret ingredient."

Alice peered at it, curious. "But there's nothing in it," she observed.

"Of course not, sweetheart. Remember when I said you were going to be my inspiration? Well I'm going to need your help to prepare this part. Don't worry, though, it's not hard."

Her eyes widened, "What do I get to do?" She sounded and looked like a child, slight as she was, though she was at least 18 years old. She bounced on her heels, eager to get to work. "Do I get to actually help mix it?"

"In a way," Jasper said. "But first we need to prepare this vat. In order to extract the essence, or the scent, of ingredients, sometimes they need to be soaked in alcohol and some other preservatives. So tonight we're going to fill it so it'll be ready for when I get my key ingredients.

"When will that be? And what is it?"

"Ah, now that's a surprise," he smiled easily and tapped her nose. "And there's no fun in spoiling surprises, now is there?"

"You can't surprise me, Jasper Whitlock," she said with confidence. "I'll get it out of you, just you wait."  
Jasper laughed at her audacity. "Good luck, sweetheart. Good luck."

Edward chuckled to himself, amused at her enthusiasm, then strolled over to his work station, with images of how this same scene would play once he got Bella down to his workroom dancing in front of his eyes.

Edward did not have a particularly productive night after that.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

When Bella failed to make an appearance at the shop the next day, Edward decided to take matters into his own hands. He'd never been a very patient man.

As soon he closed everything down, he was out the door and in his car, driving to Bella's. He wouldn't be needed at the shop tonight, at least not until much later, so he took advantage of the free time he had.

Soon he was idling in front of the little white house where the object of his desire resided. Luck seemed to be on his side when not only was there no police cruiser in the driveway, but there was also only one light on in the entire whole house - an upstairs room that he presumed belonged to Bella.

His luck prevailed when he spotted an old oak with branches reaching almost right into that window.

With a quick glance around to make sure no one was watching, he grabbed the lowest branch and hefted himself up on to it . He was lucky the Swans lived in a small house and not in an apartment complex. There was little chance of him breaking into a high-rise. He climbed up the trunk, using the base of the branches as steps and soon he was wrapped around the branch that was level with Bella's window.

She was sitting at a desk, facing away from the window, chewing on the end of a pencil and glaring at a text book. Edward craned his neck to see what she was working on, then smiled in understanding.

_An Introduction to Statistics_.

He didn't take the class during his short time on campus, but anyone who'd ever set foot on any campus knew of the horrors of that class. So it didn't surprise him in the slightest to see Bella agonize over her homework. It also explained why she never dropped by; no doubt she expected to be finished much earlier but ended up being held hostage by her assignment.

He studied her, watching in her every movement, learning her nervous habits and ticks. She tapped her foot in time with her pencil, as if listening to a song in her head. She worked in silence, though, which surprised Edward somewhat. He'd pegged her as the type to have some sort of background music playing.

She fidgeted a lot, too. Shifting positions every five minutes or so, she couldn't seem to ever get comfortable.

_'I'm prob__ably more comfortable in this tree than she is in that chair,_' he mused to himself. Though the bark poked through his clothing, he was able to remain more or less still. He was also relatively hidden from view, thanks to the leafy branches that surrounded him. If Bella looked out the window, she would spot him easily, but from the outside world, he was all but invisible.  
He couldn't decide if he was lucky or unlucky that Bella never looked up and saw him. Instead, she was working so hard and diligently that she ended up falling asleep right in her seat.

Edward frowned. If she stayed in that position all night, she'd undoubtedly wake up sore and grouchy. Without a second thought, he inched forward on his branch and nudged the window. It slid open with a slight squeak in protest, but it opened enough for him to crawl through without anything snagging.

He stood over Bella at her desk for a moment, making sure she was completely asleep, and looked over her shoulder at what she'd been working on. In the margins of her notebook paper, there were doodles of eyes and what looked like perfume bottles. Smiling to himself, he made a mental note to ask her opinion on the design of her fragrance.

Then he gently scooped her up and carried her over to her bed. She turned into him and nestled against his chest, sighing contentedly. As he laid her down, he took a deep breath, inhaling her scent. It was almost overwhelming here, where she lived and spent a lot of her time. She rolled over, shifting until she was comfortable, and stilled.

Edward decided to take advantage of his time unsupervised in Bella's room and glanced around. Above her desk hung a bulletin board covered in pictures of what he assumed were her friends. Edges overlapped, some faces were covered, but it was clear Bella had a good deal of friends who cared about her.

There were several of Charlie and a little brown-haired, wide-eyed girl that could only be Bella. These weren't framed, simply layered in with the more recent ones of her friends her own age. Most of these friends were girls, but there were a few guys sprinkled in as well.

One picture in particular caught Edward's attention. He frowned and plucked it out, wondering who this tall boy with his arms wrapped around Bella was. Bella belonged to _Edward_, not some stranger with a goofy face. Then his mind started to run away with him, '_What if this was her ex-boyfriend? Why would she still have a picture of him? What if they still saw each other? What if he still meant something to her? Why did they break up?'_

The questions kept coming until Edward got so agitated that he ripped the head off the strange boy in the photograph and through it in the waste basket beside the desk. Left in his hand was now a picture of only Bella, as if the photographer aimed too low. Pleased with the newly cropped photo, he tucked it among the others back on the bulletin board.

He poked around the room a bit more, picking up the books she kept on her shelf, peaking in her closet, and simply taking in as much as he could. He would have been content to explore her room for hours, but the bang of the front door signaling Charlie's return cut his investigation short.

Glancing back at Bella, he saw she'd kicked herself free of the blankets, but was shivering slightly. He pulled the comforter over her, took one last sniff, and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead.

She somehow quickly became precious to him, and he vowed to himself to never ever lose her. And so, as a parting souvenir, he snatched a red top from the floor. It was clearly worn, most likely as pajamas, and it smelled just like its owner.

It was perfect. Just like his Bella.

Bella was already feeling a little bit guilty when she poured over her homework that she didn't have a chance to visit Edward, but when she woke up the next morning in her own bed to several texts from him, the guilt doubled.  
_  
'I'm counting the moments until I can see you again.'_

_'I can't stop thinking about you.'_

_'Please don't keep me waiting any longer - I'll be at the shop all day again.'_

_'I miss you.'  
_  
She honestly didn't know how to react. First of all, she had no recollection of getting into bed the night before, but quickly chalked it up to being so tired that she didn't remember. Then when she tried to understand the attention from Edward, her first instinct was to be extremely flattered. That he had even given her a second glance still astounded her, but that fact that he couldn't stop thinking about her blew her mind.

In fact, she was so flabbergasted that she neglected to send any sort of reply without realizing it. Instead, she agonized over the texts that Edward had sent, picking them apart, looking for any sort of hidden message. She thought there was only one possible way to interpret them, but she didn't want to be fooled by wishful thinking.

She sat for her classes, but her mind was nowhere near present. It was only when she got a call from Charlie asking her to pick up some ketchup on her way home that she snapped back into the present and pushed Edward from her mind. After all, Charlie was cooking dinner tonight, and family came first. It was a rare treat that her father cooked, given his busy schedule. Bella was usually the cook, and would put a plate for him in the fridge that he could eat whenever he made his way home. On the rare evening he was got off early, he was usually too tired to cook.

But tonight, he'd had the whole day off and was well rested. His deputy scolded him for working too hard, apparently, and forced him to take a whole day off. The recent outbreak of missing girls had taxed him, and he needed to step back from the situation and regroup.

Charlie had quite the feast in mind. He didn't have many recipes in his repertoire, but what he did know, he knew very well. It was a closely guarded secret that he could actually cook, but he was fantastic with a grill.

Unfortunately, the night had other plans. First, it started pouring rain. This was not unusual for Forks, and Charlie could still grill in a light misting, but this was an all out downpour, with lightning and all. He refused to admit defeat and stubbornly tried to use the little George Foremen Bella had given him for Christmas one year. He'd never used it before, and complained the whole time - the temperature wasn't right, there wasn't the smoked flavor that made everything taste so good, how were you supposed to feed more than one person at the same time, etc.. But with Bella's help, he made due, and the two of them produced a rather nice meal. But then, despite the quietness surrounding the case lately, As things turned out, there was another incident and Charlie sped off almost before he was finished eating. He shouted an apology and a reminder to lock the doors and windows on his way out, and Bella was left along for the night.

After cleaning up and making sure everything was in fact locked, she decided to use the unexpected time with the quiet house to read ahead for her classes. Normally, she tried to do her homework and studying at the library or on campus, because Charlie had a tendency to inadvertently distract her whenever she attempting working from home. He'd wouldn't say anything, but she could feel him. Not hovering exactly - he'd always given her her space - but he was just there.

So tonight, she made a little nest of blankets for herself on her bed, curled up, and read. The rain fell in sheets against her window, and the thunder rolled gently in the distance. Bella found her eyelids grow heavy and eventually, she let the storm lull her to sleep.

A deafeningly loud clap of thunder jerked her back into the world of the living, and she floundered in the blankets for a moment, trying to get her bearings.

It was pitch black in her room; the power must have gone out. Her house backed the forest, no doubt one of those trees was stuck and lost some branches to the power lines that threaded along the street. She fumbled around for the flashlight she kept in the nightstand drawer for occasions such as these.

_'Ah hah,'_ she thought as she found it, and flicked it on.

And screamed.

She froze, every hair and nerve on her body standing alert in a panic. There was someone in her room.

When she'd turned on the pale light, it illuminated the silhouette that stood just beside her bed, just out of reach. From her brief, panicked glimpse, all she could see was a man's build, and the eerie gleam of the light refracting off his eyes.

_'I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die,_' she chanted madly in her head, '_They're going to add my name to that list and I'm gonna die and no one's gonna know whatever happened to me-'  
_  
"Bella…"

_'Oh crap he knows my name oh crap I'm gonna die oh crap oh shit oh crap-"_

"Bella, it's me"

'Wait a second, I know that voice…' Bella's frenzy started to calm down and she hesitantly flipped the flashlight back on and stared into the darkness..

Edward's face stared back at her.

Bella shrieked again out of pure shock, "Edward! What the hell are you doing in my room, in the middle of the night, in the middle of a thunderstorm?"

He had the sense to look guilty, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you like that. I just heard that there was another girl gone missing, and I started to worry. Before I knew it, I was in front of your house."

A clap of thunder shook the frame of the house and Bella wrapped herself more tightly into her nest.

"That doesn't tell me how you got in here. Everything was locked." She peered up at him, then added, "And please sit down or something. You hovering like that is creeping me out. Pull my desk chair over."

He complied and sat close enough that his knees brushed the edge of her bed. "I did try to knock and ring the bell. The storm must have been too loud, or you were too deep in sleep. Either way, when you didn't answer, I got even more anxious." He glanced at her window and Bella noticed for the first time that it was slightly ajar.

"You climbed in my window?' she asked, incredulous. "But it was locked, too!"

"I, um, might have picked it."

"What?"

"The kind of lock you have, it's actually really easy to open. I had the same on my windows growing up. I learned pretty early on how to unlock them from the outside when I needed to sneak back in. I can teach you." He looked repentant, though a little confused. "I am really sorry I frightened you. I didn't want you to be alone tonight."

"As much as I think I appreciate that, you shouldn't have sneaked into my room."

"I don't know, I thought it was very Romeo of me," a boyish grin curled his lips.

"Oh?"

"Scaling the walls to see his lady, facing great peril and possible death in doing so? Some girls would think it very romantic."

"You did not face possible death."

"I'm pretty sure if I lost my grip and fell, I'd be fairly mortally wounded. Or if the chief police shot me in the process, that'd be pretty deadly, too."

Bella was no match for his teasing grin and cracked a smile of her own. "My dad wouldn't have shot you. Not to kill anyway. He'd aim for the foot so you couldn't get away, but he'd still have you where he wanted you."

"That's… really not at all reassuring."

"That's what you get for scaring the crap out of me."

"Fair enough."

"And then what happened?" Bella's friend Angela asked, concerned. Bella relayed the story to her two friends, Angela and Jessica, at lunch in the student union the next day.

Bella shrugged, "Not much. He just hung around until the power came back on."

"Seriously, that's all we're gonna get? 'Not much'? Come on, Bella, you know we live vicariously through you," Jessica prodded.

"Seriously. We just sat in my room and talked. He looked through my pictures and stuff and asked me about them. I asked him similar questions. Really, nothing exciting."

Jessica wasn't fooled. "If there was nothing exciting, you wouldn't be blushing right about now."

Bella's hands flew to her face, and sure enough, her cheeks were heated in a tell-tale blush. "Fine. He might have sat in my bed and there might have been physical contact." Jessica's face lit up and Bella was quick to add, "But none of what you're thinking, I'm sure. It was very tame."

Jessica's face fell a little, but was still pleased with her information. Angela on the other hand, looked troubled. "You let him hang around after that? If a guy snuck into my room without my knowing about it, I'd have castrated him."

The other two laughed at the mental picture of sweet little Angela attempting to castrate any intruder. "I still think it's sweet," Jessica sighed, once their laughter had subsided. "All that effort he put into seeing you? That's totally romantic."

"Yeah, the jury is still out on that one. Pity I like him so much, or I probably would've followed Angela's advice. Plus, he is way too good looking. For me to mess up anything that pretty would have to be some kind of crime against nature."

Giggles broke out again, and then Jessica changed the subject to grill Angela about the date she'd gone on over the weekend and Bella's adventure was in the past.

* * *

**_Again, thanks to my betas, Anechka86 and Adair7. Any remaining errors are my own. Thank you for reading!_**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

"Did you hear about the latest missing girl?" Bella asked the next morning. She had stopped by before her classes started for the day and was leaning against the counter as Edward stocked various bottles.

"Yeah, and I knew her actually. Jasper was kind of dating her."

"No!" Bella exclaimed, shocked.

"Yeah, he's pretty much locked himself down in the workroom. I haven't seen him all day."

"Wow."

"Is your dad on the case now?"

"Yeah, that's where he was last night." Bella started chewing on her bottom lip. "He's getting really paranoid about me going out now, and I'm starting to understand why."

"Oh?" Edward raised an eyebrow and looked up at her.

"Apparently my room isn't as safe as I thought it was." Her tone was accusing, though there wasn't any real venom in it.

Edward chuckled. "Don't worry. I'll keep an eye on you."

"You can't watch me twenty-four seven."

"Is that a challenge?"

"No," she scoffed, "It's a fact."

Grinning, Edward placed the last bottle on the shelf and stood up. "No, I hear a challenge."

Bella straightened. "Don't even think about it. I don't want you sitting outside my house and living off Cheez-its or something crazy like that."

Calmly, Edward slinked over to strand directly in front of Bella, their bodies only inches apart. Bella's breath hitched as she straightened, trying to match his height, even though he towered over her.

He leaned closer, his breath leaving a hot trail down the side of her face. Her heart thudded madly in her chest, threatening to break out of her ribcage at any moment. He slowly made his way to just below her jawline, where he skimmed the skin with the tip of his nose, then pressed a quick and shockingly chaste kiss to her neck before pulling back just enough to look her in the eyes.

"It's a challenge."

Bella shivered, not quite sure if he was serious or not, and unable to forget the burn of his lips on her skin..

After Bella left, there was a bit of a mid-morning lull, so Edward went down to the workroom to check on Jasper. He'd been working like a madman since the disappearance of his girl.

He found Jasper staring intently at the vat that Alice had helped him prepare only nights before.

"How's it coming?" Edward asked.

Jasper didn't make any indication that he heard.

Edward walked up and put a hand on Jasper's shoulder. "Jasper?"

He shook himself out of his trance, "Sorry, what were you saying?"

"Just checking in on you."

"I'm fine."

Edward removed his hand and stood beside Jasper, and also stared into the vat. It filled with a clear mixture of liquids and alcohol and Jasper's secret ingredient floated in the middle.

"How much longer, do you think?" Edward asked.

"Everything's working out quite well so far," Jasper said. "I'm going to begin mixing samples tonight. You never know how long that will take."

"That's encouraging."

Their conversation died there, as they both stared into the clear vat that held their newest chance at a fresh fragrance and consequentially another chance to further their careers until Edward was called away by the bell chime upstairs.

When Bella stepped out of her stats class, she was surprised to find Edward casually leaning against the tree that stood guard just outside the building.

"Edward?" she stopped short, confused. "What are you doing here? Is something wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," he pushed himself off the tree and wrapped an arm around her waist. "I told you, I'm keeping an eye on you."

"You can't do that." Bella protested, "Aren't you supposed to be working? And what about Jasper?"

"Jasper can handle himself, he's a grown man. And there's another guy that comes in sometimes, when we need extra help. I just gave him a call and I'm covered."

"So, what, you're just going to lurk outside my buildings?"

"I can sit in on your classes, too."

"No, you can't. My next class has like, 30 people in it. My professor will kick you out."

"Then yeah, I'll lurk outside your building," he smirked.

Bella sighed. "How did you figure out my schedule, anyway? I never told you."

He shrugged. "I might have charmed an administrative assistant or two."

"You didn't."

"I'm very persuasive, if you haven't noticed."

"Believe me, I've noticed," she muttered and pulled away from him, wrapping her arms around herself and shivered.

He just grinned and pulled her back in. To her own surprise, she let him. She told herself it was because the air was chilly and it was quite warm nestled up against his body. And, the jealous stares other girls threw her way were nice, too. It was shallow of her, and she knew it, but she couldn't bring herself to care.

"So, next I believe you're heading to physical sciences building for health?" Edward spoke again.

"Unfortunately."

"Why is that unfortunate?"

She looked at him sideways, "Seriously? I guess you haven't been around me long enough to realize how uncoordinated I can be, huh? I'm amazed I haven't knocked over a display of bottles yet."

"Duly noted. Keep you away from freestanding glass bottles."

Bella nudged him with her shoulder. "You can't keep in me safe from everything, you know."

"That won't keep me from trying. You're my inspiration, remember? I protecting my own interests by protecting you."

Bella didn't say anything after that, and they continued their walk in silence. When they reached her building, Edward walked her right up to the door and stopped, pulling her aside and out of the way of traffic.

"I'll see you when class is over," he hugged her close for a brief moment before letting her go, then disappeared into the crowd before Bella could say anything in return.

Bella walked to her classroom in a daze, and chose a seat near the back. Angela was in the same class, and was already in the normal seats in the second row. When she saw Bella, she quickly relocated.

"Hey," Angela sat down beside her, "Something wrong?

"What? No, I'm just…" Bella shook her head to clear it, "Edward was outside my last class and then walked me here."

"And? That doesn't seem like a big deal."

"No, it isn't," Bella said slowly. "It's just…unnerving. He keeps showing up everywhere. First my house, now my class? Should I be getting worried?"

"Do you think you should be getting worried?"

Bella frowned. "I don't think so? I mean, he's just being enthusiastic, right?"

"I don't know," Angela looked uneasy.

"I mean," Bella continued, talking more to herself than to her friend, "It's normal to want to spend a lot of time together when you just start going out, right? If anything, I should be flattered he's giving me so much attention. I'm being ungrateful, acting like this."

Angela didn't say anything, but didn't look convinced.

"I was rude, trying to blow him off like that. I should apologize to him after class." Bella resolved.

"I don't think you need to go that far…"

"No, I do. I don't want him to walk out on me for being a jerk," Bella was convinced and wouldn't hear otherwise. "I'll talk to him after class."

Bella wasn't able to concentrate at all during the lecture since she was so concerned about Edward and how she was supposed to act. She'd never been in a relationship where she and the boy hadn't already been friends first. This was new to her, and she wasn't sure exactly how she was supposed to act.

As soon as the bell rang and the professor dismissed them, she shot out of the room with a hurried goodbye to Angela, and searched the crowd outside the building for Edward.

"Behind you," his soft voice made her jump and she spun around. He was smiling down at her, and she felt her heart stutter a little at his proximity and sudden appearance.

"I wanted to say I'm sorry for how I acted earlier. I shouldn't have been so cold to you," she said quickly, before she lost her nerve.

He looked surprised. "Don't worry about it."

"I just, um," she looked down at her feet and played with the hem of her jacket. "I don't want to seem ungrateful for you caring about my well-being."

He stepped closer to her and hooked a finger under her chin, his dark eyes serious. "I said don't worry about it. It's already forgotten."

She lost herself under the power of his gaze for a moment before shaking herself free and stepping back, putting a more appropriate distance between the two of them. "I have an hour until my next class. I usually go grab something eat, if you'd like to join me."

"I'd love to," he smiled and lazily swung an arm around her shoulders, leading the way to the food court.

"Usually I eat alone, but sometimes a classmate from my next class joins me, just to warn you," she said as they walked side by side.

"Oh?"

"Yeah, he's really nice. His name is Mike. Sometimes we study together, too."

He quirked an eyebrow at that. "Just study?"

A deep blush filled her cheeks at his implication. "Yes! Just study, I swear. I have no romantic interest in him whatsoever. But he's a nice guy."

"Hmm." Edward didn't say anything more after that, and Bella hoped that today Mike decided to spend some time in the library instead of the food court.

Bella scanned the crowd as Edward opened the door for her, and there was no sign of Mike. She breathed a sigh of relief. "What are you in the mood for today? Burger? Taco? Pizza?"

"Whatever you'd like."

"Fries sound pretty good right now. Is that alright?"

"Like I said, whatever you'd like," he grinned.

After she placed her order, Edward insisted on combining their orders so he could pay and wouldn't take no for an answer.

"I do have my own money," Bella said, irritated.

"I know you do, but it makes me happy when I can do something for you." Edward argued good-naturedly. "You wouldn't deny me my happiness, now would you?"

"It's just a meal," Bella grumbled.

"Exactly." Edward said. "Not a big deal. So let me do something nice for you. There's an open table over there," he pointed it out and dropped the subject.

Just as they were sitting, Bella heard her name being called. She cringed, knowing exactly who was trying to catch her attention. Edward seemed to have figured it out, too.

"Is that your Mike?"

"He's not mine," she mumbled before turning around to wave at Mike, indicating that she heard him. She hoped he'd catch that she had company and wanted him to stay away, but Mike was oblivious.

"Hey Bella, who's your friend?" Mike pulled a chair from a neighboring table and straddled it, dropping a paper sack on the table and pulling out a sandwich and chips. His shaggy blond hair and open, boyish face were usually a welcome sight, but today Bella wished he would just disappear. She didn't know how Edward would react to her friends, and having the two of them meet made her nervous.

"Um, this is Edward. Edward, Mike." She gestured helplessly.

"Nice to meet you, dude," Mike waved and took a big bite of his sandwich. "You two have a class together or something?"

"Not really," Bella began, but Edward cut her off.

"I'm her boyfriend."

Mike choked on his sandwich and grabbed his water bottle, chugging down water try to dislodge whatever stuck in his throat. Once he could breath again, he said, "Come again? I didn't know you were dating anyone, Bella. Or even open to dating anyone."

"Yeah, it's kind of new?" it came out more like a question than the statement she meant. She was still trying to wrap her brain around the fact that Edward just called himself her boyfriend. She thought they were still in the awkward getting-to-know-you phase. Especially judging by how rarely he displayed any physical affection for her.

Edward however was glaring at Mike. If he were a dog, his hackles would be up and teeth bared.

Mike seemed completely unaware of Edward's hostility. "Well, that's cool, I guess. So, how did you feel about the reading for today? Did you make any sense out of it?"

Bella confessed that she'd completely forgotten about it, and the two of them spent the rest of lunch talking about it and preparing for the class, while Edward stared daggers into Mike's skull the entire time.

When it came time to leave for class, Edward walked silently, purposely putting himself between Bella and Mike. When Bella turned to say goodbye to Edward, he pulled her roughly aside. Bella looked at him, confused, and Mike asked if she wanted him to wait.

"You go on ahead, I'll be just a minute," she said.

"I don't want you spending any more time with him," Edward all but growled at her, gripping her arm tightly.

"What?"

"You heard me. I don't want him hanging around you. He's clearly got feelings for you, and I don't want him near you."

Bella tried to laugh it off. "Be serious, Edward. He's just a friend, and he's not interested in me. He's harmless."

"You can't be that blind. The boy's an idiot and has no tact. It couldn't be more obvious that he liked you unless he started walking around with a neon sign."

"You're being ridiculous, and I'm going to be late for class." She shrugged off his hand and started walking away.

"I'm serious, Bella. Don't talk to him anymore."

She didn't reply, but when Mike waved at her and pointed at the seat he'd saved, she paused, then pretended not to see and sat on the other side of the room.

* * *

_**A/N - Thanks for reading and thanks again to Anechka86 and Adair7 for their help!**_


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

One night, Bella decided to surprise Edward in his workroom. She all but ordered him to stay away that night, claiming Charlie wanted to spend some time together. In actuality, time with Charlie was an hour or so for dinner at the local diner, and then she was free.

She knew Edward would be at the shop, since he and Jasper were still working on their newest scent. Edward had told her that it was close to being done, thanks to Jasper absolutely throwing himself into the work after Alice's disappearance, and Edward wanted to help him as much as he could.

So instead of calling Edward to come over, she went to him.

She had never seen his workroom, and was excited to see where Edward worked his magic. She knew where the back entrance was, though she never used it, and parked her old truck just outside it. Hesitantly, she opened the door. It creaked open and reaveal two options: the doorway to the front of the shop, and a long stairway down to the basement. She checked in the shop first, but it was locked up, so she turned to the basement. The stairs squeaked under her weight, ruining any element of surprise and she winced.

"Who's there?" Edward called out in alarm. "Jasper, are you back already?"

Bella meekly walked down the rest of the stairs and waved when she saw him , "Hey. I, uh, wanted to surprise you."

"Congratulations, you did," he said, uneasily glancing behind him. "Just…stay there a moment while I make the place presentable."

"You don't have to clean up for me," she protested.

"Yes I do, just a moment. Please."

He disappeared from sight, and Bella heard the rustling of fabric and the clink of empty bottles. When he appeared again, he looked much more at ease and reached out to take her by the hand.

"Now then. Would you like a tour?"

"Please."

He took her to his workstation, and the vast array of different scents was overwhelming. "How can you tell what you're working with? It all just blends together to me."

"I have a very good sense of smell. And I know what I'm looking for, so I can identify what exactly I'm smelling."

"Oh," Bella thought about that as she examined the various tubes and vials that helped extract the essences of each scent. Then her attention was drawn to something much larger than a vial.

Along the walls were several large cylindrical objects, each covered by a large tarp.

"What are those?" Bella asked, reaching a hand out to lift the tarp to see what lied underneath.

Edward was in front of her in a flash, yanking the cover back down and pulling her hand away, "Those are the secrets ingredients. They need to be kept covered or they'll spoil."

"Oh, sorry!" She apologized hastily, knowing how valuable those ingredients were, based on the reverence Edward with regarding them.

"No harm done," Edward assured her. "Actually, I'm glad you stopped by. I've been working on your scent, as you know, and I'd like to have you hear while I try a few combinations."

"Ok," she smiled, "What do I need to do?"

"Just stand there and look pretty."

Bella obliged him and was simply content to watch him as he worked. He was fascinating to watch. He was wearing a simple t-shirt, and Bella was mesmerized by the way his arms and hands moved with such care and precision. It was like watching a conductor and his symphony, though Bella couldn't hear the same music that Edward did.

Nevertheless, Bella listened and watched him compose for the rest of the night.

"I'm going to take you to dinner," Edward declared one afternoon. He and Bella were walking across campus, his arm possessively around her waist.

"You buy me dinner all the time," she replied dryly, "And I try to stop you every time."

"No, those don't count, I want to take you to a real dinner. Dressed nice, music playing in the background, the whole nine yards."

"And why do you want to do that?"

"Because you deserve it. You've put up with me for a whole month now. That's something worth celebrating."

"Why can't we celebrate some other way?"

"Can't I want to give you something nice without the third degree? Come on, Bella."

"I'm not giving you the third degree, and don't look at me like that," she scolded.

"How am I looking at you?"

"I don't know, but I always end up caving when you do that."

Edward grinned wickedly, "Then why would I ever stop?"

Bella rolled her eyes. "Please, Edward?"

She looked up at him pitifully, and Edward couldn't help but laugh. "Oh you accuse me of having a Look, sweet one, but when you look at me like that, I can't help but give in to you. What would you like to do to celebrate?"

She grinned. "You know what? I think it's my turn to surprise you. I want to be in charge of this one."

Edward sighed in defeat. "Alright. Just this once, I'll turn the reins over to you."

Bella smiled happily and leaned into his embrace. "Now let me go to class, and I'll let you know what I plan."

After class was over, Bella was gathering her things when she heard someone clear their throat behind her.

"What's going on with you lately?" Angela asked her abruptly.

"What?" Bella asked, startled.

"I mean, I never see you anymore, and Mike was saying you act like he doesn't even exist. I know you were never interested in him, but you used to be at least nice to him. And what about me, did I do something wrong?" she sounded hurt.

"No, no," Bella said hurriedly,"I'm sorry, I didn't even realize I was doing it. I've just been spending a lot of time with Edward, I guess."

"You've been spending _all _your time with Edward. I get that you're dating and you want to spend time with him, but don't you think you shouldn't forget about your friends in the process?"

"I haven't forgotten about my friends," Bella retorted.

"I don't mean to offend you," Angela was quick to say, "I just want to make sure you know what you're doing. It's not healthy to be so involved with someone you only just met."

Bella finished stuffing her notebook in her backpack, snapped, "I know exactly what I'm doing," and walked off in a huff.

As she walked, though, she realized maybe she wasn't so sure. She tried to think of the last time she'd really hung out with anyone other than Edward, and was startled to realize it was before they'd met.

It was true she didn't talk to Mike anymore. Since that day that Edward demanded she avoid him, she'd done just that. She couldn't deny that the hurt look on Mike's face when she would reject him affected her. He would always look so hopeful when he saw her, and every time, she shot him down.

She never studied with Angela or anyone anymore either, in fact, she rarely studied at all. Instead, she rushed through the minimum amount of homework so she could hurry back to Edward. Sometimes she didn't even have to leave home. He would watch TV or sit with her at the kitchen table while she worked, and then they'd leave as soon as she was done.

Was their relationship healthy?

Bella wasn't so sure she could answer that question truthfully. Her first instinct was to say that of course it was, Edward made her feel adored. Edward was her whole world. But at the same time, those nagging thoughts tingled at the back of her mind, Did healthy relationships completely consume you?

"Alright, what do I need to do for our big night out tonight? Black tie?"

Bella laughed, "No. Just come as you are, 6:00. I'm taking care of the rest."

"As I am?" Edward looked down at his khakis and green button down in disdain.

She looked up at him with large eyes and he sighed, "Fine. Fine, I'll come as I am."

"Great!" she kissed him on the cheek and smiled widely. "It'll be great."

However, when she started getting ready for the night later, she began to have her doubts.

"Oh shoot, I'm out of lemon," she muttered to herself. She debated simply changing the menu, but she had her heart set on making her legendary lamb chops. It was one of her more difficult dishes to cook, but she always got such a great reaction that she thought Edward would be impressed.

She thundered down the road in her old pick-up for a quick grocery run, her mind already envisioning how the night was going to play out in a dream of perfect food with a perfect man.

Suddenly she was snapped out of her daydreaming by the sound of screeching breaks to her immediate left. Another car was speeding towards her, and there was no time for her to get out of the way, though time seemed to stand still. In that frozen moment, she glimpsed the other driver - a young man about her age - as he stared at her with wide eyes. She braced herself for impact.

They collided with a short and loud crunch as the metal frames twisted and meshed together. Bella lurched forward, her body pulling against the seat belts and knocking the wind of out her. She threw out an arm to try to catch herself, but misjudge this distance and hit the steering wheel straight on. She felt her bone snap and tears sprang to her eyes in an immediate and unconscious reaction. The seatbelt across her body dug into her skin and felt like it was doing more harm than good.

The driver's side window shattered, throwing shards of glass in every direction. Bells could smell the blood from her shallow cuts, and fought to stay conscious. She'd never done well with the sight or smell of blood, and now was no exception. She felt dizzy and light-headed, and tried to breath deeply through her mouth.

Bella slumped over, gasping, and tried to process what had just happened.

It was all over in a matter of seconds. One moment was filled with screams of metal and the next, dead silence.

She heard shouts from outside, telling her help was on the way, and asking if she was ok. She didn't have the strength to answer, instead focused all her energy on simply breathing in and out.

For a long time, she felt like she was looking at the world through a window. Watching the paramedics rushing around the cars seemed more like a tv drama than her actual life. Though time seemed to stand still during the collision, time afterwards seemed to go twice as fast as if to make up for it.

She'd been to the hospital and the emergency room plenty of times, she'd never ridden in an ambulance before. It was bumpier and more claustrophobic than she anticipated. She remained awake the entire time, and there was always someone hovering over her or directly beside her. She felt like she couldn't breathe.

Then, finally, the doors opened and she was rushed into the hospital. Time continued to pass in fast-forward motion and before she knew it, she was sitting in a hospital bed with a cast on her arm and a tray of so-called food in front of her.

Sluggishly, she poked at her dinner, trying to decipher what everything was through the haze of several painkillers. She was sniffing the gray blob of something, when a nurse walked in to inform her that her father was there to see her.

"Uh-oh," Bella said nervously. "How mad is he?"

The nurse smiled kindly, "Not mad at all. Just worried about his daughter."

She opened the door and motioned for Charlie to come in.

"Bella!" he exclaimed as soon as he was through the door. "Are you ok? What the hell happened?"

"It was just an accident," Bella said sheepishly. "And actually not my fault. Someone else ran a light, I think."

"Are you ok?"

"Just a bit shaken up," she tried to downplay the seriousness of her injuries, but Charlie wasn't hearing any of that.

"What's wrong?" he demanded to know from the nurse.

She glanced at Bella sympathetically, but began listing the extent of her injuries. "She broke her right arm, and cracked several ribs on the seat belt. She has minor cuts, but nothing needing stitches, and several bruises that will look a bit worse before they get any better. She'll be very sore for a little while, and we got her on pain meds now. However, in a few weeks, she'll be as good as new, don't worry."

Charlie heaved a sigh of relief. "Bells, we really need to look into getting an giant air bubble for you to walk around in."

Bella rolled her eyes. If he was making bad jokes, he must be feeling better. "I don't think even that would stop me."

"By the way, did you have plans tonight? When I checked the machine at home, it looked like that Edward kid's been calling the house every half hour, wanting to know why you weren't answering your phone."

Bella groaned. "I bet my phone got lost in the crash. We were supposed to meet up tonight. He's probably worried sick."

"Ah. Well, I'll leave you to call him, then." He looked uncomfortable, "I should probably get back to the station, anyway. You need anything before I leave?"

"You don't happen to know his number do you?" Bella asked, embarrassed. "I always used speed dial."

Charlie dug out a piece of paper from his pocket with numbers scrawled on it. "He left it on the machine," he said gruffly. "And I thought you might need it."

Bella was touched. "Thank you," she said softly and took it from him.

Charlie ruffled her hair affectionately and said, "Don't scare me like that, kid. Ok?"

"I'll try," she said softly.

On that note, Charlie left and Bella picked up the phone by her bed, dialing nervously.

"Hello? Bella?" Edward's panicked voice answered.

"Hey, Edward."

"Where have you been? I've been trying to reach you for hours!"

"I might have been in an accident?" Bella winced as she spoke, anticipating Edward's reaction.

"What?"

"Nothing too serious, I'm going to be fine," she rushed to reassure him. "I'm at the hospital now, though. Can I take a raincheck on tonight?"

"You're at the hospital!" He sounded stunned.

"Yeah," she spoke quickly, trying to calm him down, though it didn't seem to be working. "I broke my arm and look a mess, but I'm fine. I feel fine. I'm just sad I'll miss tonight."

"Tell me what happened. And I'm on my way now." Bella heard the slam of a door in the background.

"Some guy ran a red light and hit me. Really, I look and sound worse than I am, you don't need to come here."

"Don't be ridiculous, of course I do. Who hit you and where is he?"

"I don't know. I can find out if that'll help calm you down," she offered.

"Please."

Bella waved at a nurse to get her attention, "Excuse me, but do you know what happened to the other guy in the same accident as me?"

She smiled sympathetically. "He was the lucky one. Barely a scratch on him. I think he's out in the waiting room, actually. He wanted to talk to you, if he could."

"Oh." Bella relayed this information to Edward.

"I don't want you to talk to him without me there."

"Edward, he probably just wants to apologize or something."

"Or blame it all on you or something else ridiculous. No, you just wait there. I'm only about ten minutes away."

When Edward finally did arrive, it wasn't for another twenty. Bella was just barely hanging on to consciousness after another dose of pain killers and only stayed awake long enough to ask what took so long.

"I met the guy in the lobby. You don't need to talk to him anymore."

"Well, what did he want?" she asked sleepily, letting her eyes drift shut.

"Nothing important. Now sleep, sweet one," he leaned over to gently kiss her forehead and stroked her cheek.

Bella was so close to unconsciousness that she wasn't sure if she imagined it or not, but she could have swore she smelt fresh blood on his hands, and saw the beginnings of a bruise along his knuckles.

When she woke up, it was well past visiting hours and Edward was gone, but there was another patient on the bed beside her. She peered through the darkness and was shocked to recognize the face as the one of the other driver. He was still awake, but staring out the window, and appeared to be looking without really seeing.

A nurse walking by noticed she was awake and asked if she was in any pain.

Bella shook her head, but gestured at the young man. "I thought he walked away from the accident."

"I thought so, too. But apparently he was trying to be tough or something. He has several broken ribs, all sorts of bruises, and a concussion. Poor thing."

Bella didn't think it was possible to hide all those things, but didn't push it any further. Instead she drifted back to sleep, preferring her dreams of Edward to the harsh pains and aches of being awake.

* * *

**A/N - As always, thanks for reading, and thank you to those who are reviewing and reccing! I really appreciate it. And I'm sorry I didn't get teasers out this week, I was feeling a bit sickly and didn't get anything done. Also, a huge thanks to Anechka86 for her beta and pimp work. :)  
**

**As a heads up, we're halfway done - this fic is only going to be 10 chapters long. Once again, thanks for reading!  
**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

Edward sat stewing over his work table, one hand tangled in his already messy hair, the other writing meticulous notes. He was muttering to himself when Jasper walked in and asked what he was doing.

Edward slumped back in his chair. "I'm working on Bella's perfume, and nothing seems to fit the way I'd like it to."

"Still? You've been working on that for weeks now. Take a break and help me clean out Maria's tank."

"Has it been that long already?" He glanced at the tank in question. Once the fragrances were out for a certain time, he and Jasper discontinued it in order to keep things fresh. Additionally, the essences they used only lasted for a fixed time, and the tank would be ruined if not emptied and cleaned properly before that fixed time ran out.

"Yeah, I can't believe it either. Seems just like yesterday she was in here, tearing this place apart."

They both smiled fondly as they remembered what a spitfire Maria was.

She was a real Spanish beauty with dark curly hair, bright brown eyes and lips that were always painted red. She was young, but she acted much older than she looked, which was what had attracted Jasper to her at first.

She'd come into the shop to look for a gift from her grandmother, and walked around like she owned the place. When she couldn't find a fragrance she liked within the first five minutes, she loudly demanded Jasper find it for her.

Since Jasper was a gentleman first and a businessman second, he was able to find exactly what she wanted. Then he told her that her liveliness would be the perfect inspiration for his newest scent.

Maria took this as an invitation to spend all her free time at the shop, which increased the shop's male patronage at first, , but soon drove customers away once they got a taste of her direct and no-nonsense manner. Not very many people appreciated being told they needed perfume if they ever hoped to get people to come within a 5 foot radius.

Unfortunately, Maria didn't come to the shop anymore. She'd disappeared as quickly as she'd come shortly before her perfume was complete.

"Alright," Edward stood and stretched, breaking the silence. "Maybe some physical labor will help clear my mind."

Cleaning the tank was indeed hard labor. All in all, the thing easily weighed at least 200 pounds, though probably closer to 250. And that was when it was half empty.

First, after donning gloves and cotton masks for protection, they drained any remaining liquid and bottled it for possible use. Sometimes it was was still good, but sometimes it spoiled, so they had to keep a careful eye on anything they planned to use. Everything was sealed up tight and kept in the cool basement storage area. Then, they removed the dregs and clumps of essence and various ingredients that still remained. This was perhaps the most difficult task, as the material often fell apart or started to dissolve after having been soaked in liquid for so long.

The scent was overwhelming and could be very distracting.

"Wow, this one is still pretty potent," Edward commented. "I bet we'll be able to use every last drop."

Jasper dropped a large, stringy clump into a black trash bag. "For all the trouble she gave us, I certainly hope so."

Edward grinned. Jasper had a particularly difficult time getting the essence of Maria, while the girl and the scent were both lovely, her personality left much to be desired as far as cooperation and agreeability went.

"Still, all's well that ends well, right?" With another deposit, the bag was full and Jasper tied it off. "Do you want to take these over, or shall I?"

Since room was so limited, and they wanted to be rid of the pungent remains as soon as possible, they drove the bags over to the dump personally.

"I'll do it," Edward volunteered. "I want to stop by Bella's, so I'll be out anyway."

"Sounds good," he began another bag. "But you're not leaving before this place is spotless."

"Ah, I was hoping to get out of the bleaching."

"You wish you were that lucky."

Edward groaned; he hated this part. Once the tank was empty and they put the bags in the trunk of Edward's car, they could get to work on the bleaching stage. Both men were fastidious about keeping contaminates out of their mixtures, so they painstakingly bleached and cleaned every inch of the empty tanks. As much as Edward needed his tanks to be clean, he hated the acrid stench of the bleach.

By the time it was clean enough to the satisfaction of both of them, it was late into the evening.

"I'd better get going if I want to see to Bella," Edward said anxiously.

"To be honest, I was surprised you lasted this long," Jasper chuckled. "I expected you to be chomping at the bit this whole time, and give up hours ago."

Edward replied with a wry smile, "She had her friend over most of the day, to study and to help with various handicapped needs."

"And you weren't invited to the party?"

"Pretty much ordered away. Though I'm sure even if I'd had been, her dad would've had a stroke. And I need to keep on the police chief's good side. But I am anxious to get back to her."

Laughing, Jasper said, "She's a bit more trouble than you anticipated, isn't she?"

"Yeah, but she'll be worth it, I've no doubt about that."

"Then I'll leave you to it," he said. "You dumping before or after?"

"Before. I want that stuff out of my car as soon as possible."

"Yeah, I don't blame you. Good luck, and no speeding. You don't want to get pulled over with that load."

Edward laughed as he climbed into his little car and sped off anyway. He never got caught. And even if he did, he was confident in his ability to talk his way out if it. He could talk his way out of murder.

Bella's injury had both made things better and worse at the same time. Her need for female assistance in showering and getting dressed rekindled her friendship with Angela somewhat, but Edward was getting progressively more over-protective.

"Angela, you're an absolute saint," Bella declared that night after Angela helped her cover her cast and shower. "I think I would have died of embarrassment if I would've had to have my dad help."

Angela laughed, "I'm glad to be of service. And it's nice to actually see you again."

Bella flushed and prepared to defend herself, but Angela didn't press the issue, instead continuing on a more amiable note.

"How is Edward?"

"He's good, I guess, if not a bit ridiculous. You've seen him following me around campus hovering over me and refusing to let me carry as much as a single sheet of paper. I don't think I've gone anywhere without him since the accident."

"It's been like three weeks! Doesn't that get annoying?"

"Yeah, and I've told him to knock it off, but he refuses and somehow convinces me that it's for my own good. I don't know how he does it. I think he feels bad for not being with me at the time, even though there's reason he should've been."

Angela tried to sympathize, but then Bella abruptly changed the subject and they chatted about some movie Angela had seen over the weekend with her boyfriend, Ben, and then it was about time for Angela to leave.

"You're set for the night, then?" She asked one more time. They'd been in the living room because there was more space to spread out and study than in Bella's bedroom.

"My legs work just fine, I think I can manage like 15 stairs," Bella said dryly.

"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow then."

Bella stood in the doorway and watched as her friend pulled out and drove away. When Angela disappeared from sight, Bella slowly turned and shut the door, alone until Charlie came home in a few hours. As she looked around, she noticed there were still dishes left from dinner the night before, and despite strict orders not to, decided to quickly wash them. She was pretty sure she could keep her cast dry.

However, no sooner than she rolled up her sleeves and stood in front of the sink, her cell phone rang.

She awkward fished it out of her pocket with her left hand and answered it without bothering to look at the ID.

"You know you're not supposed to get your cast wet," Edward's deep voice greeted her.

"What?"

"You're not supposed to get your cast wet," he repeated, speaking slowly and clearly. "It could warp the shape of the cast and then your bone won't set properly. Or the cotton on the inside will get wet and cause a rash or infection to form. You don't want bacteria growing under your cast, do you?"

Bella sighed. She'd already heard this tirade several times before. "I know, Edward."

"Then why are you set on getting it wet?"

"I'm not."

"You're going to wash dishes with your left hand only, not cover your cast and somehow not get wet?"

"I'm not," she repeated indignantly, though lying through her teeth.

He sighed. "Please don't lie to me, Bella."

She instantly felt guilty. "I don't mean to. Am I that transparent that you can tell even over the phone?"

"I just know you that well."

She smiled shyly, though she knew he couldn't see. "So did you just call me to scold me?"

"Yeah pretty much." Bella could tell he was smiling, too. "And maybe just to hear your voice. It's very soothing."

Bella blushed, but he continued before she could respond. "And you're blush is lovely, too."

The hair on the back of her neck stood up and she absently patted it down. "Ok, so you know me, you've made your point. Not please stop telling me everything I'm doing. Unless you can predict the future now, too? I would like to be warned of any forthcoming injuries."

He chuckled. "Unfortunately, no, I do not possess that talent. Besides, even if I did, I don't  
think I'd like to ruin the surprises that the future holds."

"What surprise? Is there something you're planning that I should know about?" She asked skeptically.

"No, nothing in particular," he reassured her. "Just in general. You never really know what's going to happen."

"Sometimes it feels like you do."

"Does it?" He sounded amused. "You'd be amazed, then, to know how often you surprise me."

"Me?" She picked up a cup absently, planning to simply rinse it.

"For example, no matter how many times I ask you to listen to me, you insist on doing things your own way. Now put that cup down and step away from the sink."

Startled, she dropped the plastic cup and it bounced across the counter. "I told you to stop that!" She scolded.

"And I told _you_ to stop _that_," he retorted. "Looks like neither of us are good listeners tonight."

She huffed at him and stomped over to the front door to lock up for the night. "Fine, then I'm  
going upstairs and going to bed now, does that make you happy?"

"Ecstatic," he said, sounding fair too satisfied for her taste. "Once you're in bed, I might even be blissful."

She rolled her eyes. "Goodnight, Edward."

"Goodnight, Bella. Sweet dreams."

She hung up with a small smile on her lips.

Outside her window, Edward did the same.

* * *

_AN: As always, thank you for reading, reviewing, and to Adair and Anechka for beta-ing. :)_


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

"What do you mean you haven't kissed yet?" Jessica screeched. Bella flinched away, already starting to regret agreeing to have lunch with her and Angela when Edward was out of town on business. Jessica pounced on the opportunity to drill her about her love life, living vicariously through Bella while her own social life stalled.

"I don't think there's anything that needs elaborating there, Jess." She shifted uncomfortably.

Jessica just stared at her in amazement. "I just can't process why on earth you wouldn't be making out with that piece of eye-candy every chance you got. I mean, you're together all the time! And you've been in your room together! Alone!"

Bella chose to overlook the technicalities of being alone together and mumbled, "There's been plenty of opportunities, I guess, but he's just never made the move. He's come awfully close, and he's looked like he wants to, but nothing ever happens."

"Maybe he's waiting for you to make the first move," Angela spoke up for the first time.

"Yeah!" Jess exclaimed. "Why haven't you put the moves on him?"

"I dunno," she said, clearly embarrassed. "He can be kind of intimidating, you know? I'm afraid it'll make him mad."

"Bella." Jessica reached across the table to grab her by the shoulders. "No man would ever get mad if a girl asked to make out with him. Unless he's gay. Especially a pretty girl like you, and double especially a girl he's dating. You just need to grow a pair and do it." She let go and leaned back. "I swear I remember you mentioning some action."

Bella mumbled something about possibly exaggerating details for dramatic effect, but Angela chimed in before Jessica could throw a fit about that. "I actually have to agree with her, Bella.

"Fine," Bella sighed and held her hands up in defeat. "You win. I'll try to make the next move." Perhaps she gave into their demands too easily, but she couldn't deny the urge hiding in the back of her mind to do just what they'd discussed. She'd been thinking about it ever since that first date, if not sooner. So she resolved to do something about it. The next chance she got, she was going to kiss him.

Thankfully, Angela changed the subject before Jessica had a chance to beg Bella to tell her exactly how she was going to put the moves on Edward.

For the rest of lunch, Bella was sufficiently distracted by trying to figure out how she was going to do this. She had a very limited experience with kissing, thanks to her overbearing father, and had certainly never done anything more than heavy kissing. Really all she had to draw from were movies and Jessica's second-hand tales, neither of which really seemed all that appealing.

When her first class after lunch was over, she wasn't any closer to a plan and had learned absolutely nothing from the lecture, so she decided to just not think about it. Edward wasn't supposed to return until the following day anyway, and she reasoned she'd have plenty of time to think about it at night when there were fewer distractions.

Instead, her mind wandered to Edward himself. He'd been as ridiculously overzealous as always while she still wore her cast, and she couldn't wait to have it finally removed. It had healed quickly, but Bella was still itching to have full use of both her arms again.

Other than that, though, Edward played the role of the doting boyfriend almost perfectly. If Bella didn't call him in the evening to talk, he called her "just to say good-night." He didn't come to Bella's classes anymore, though she was almost positive he was indeed on campus. He'd gotten more subtle, but she could always feel him near her. At first it was unnerving, to have someone always following her. But then she got so used to it, she was more anxious when she couldn't feel Edward near.

For example, she knew that she should be so jumpy when Edward was out of town, but she couldn't help continuously looking over her shoulder as she made her way home that day. She told herself that she was being silly, that no one was watching her, but she never did shake that eerie feeling.

She was able to finally distract herself with making dinner for herself and her father, who would actually be eating at home tonight. He'd been working himself too hard at the station, trying to locate the missing girls, that his sheriff insisted he take a night off to recuperate.

He thanked Bella for the meal, but was otherwise quiet, leaving Bella to her thoughts. Thoughts that were probably not exactly appropriate for sitting at the dinner table across from her father. Her mind kept drifting to the possibility of taking that chance with Edward and all the different ways he could react.

That chance that came much sooner than she expected when Edward showed up at her bedroom window that night.

He appeared with a devilish grin as he let himself in and Bella tried to get her breathing back under control.

"I thought I said to warn me before you do that," she scolded. "I do have a front door, you know."

"Oh I know. But your window doesn't have a big, scary police chief guarding it."

Bella rolled her eyes. "Shows what you know. Besides, I thought you weren't scared of him."

"I'm not. But it's best not to tempt fate."

"My father is not fate."

He smiled and made himself comfortable on the bed, stretching out his long limbs and looking quite at home there.

"Isn't he? He tells you where to go and what to do. And I'm pretty sure if he really didn't like me, I'd be long gone."

Bella sat next to him in a huff, "He thinks he has more control than he does. He has no idea how often I'm actually with you, or else you would be long gone."

"Is that so?" he cocked an eyebrow at her.

Suddenly it was difficult for Bella to breathe, as if the air in her bedroom was too thin or her lungs had unexpectedly shrunk, and the spark of tension that always seemed to haunt her when she was close to Edward was back in full force. She remember her resolution to herself and promptly forgot about whatever it was that she was debating with Edward. All she could focus on was burning awareness of where his body touched hers, even as innocent as those touches were - her arm against his side as she balanced herself - or not so innocent - his hand resting lightly on her thigh.

She sucked in a breath and began leaning closer, until she hovered over him with their lips inches apart. Her eyes flickered between his lips and his eyes, clearly announcing her intentions and daring him to stop her. He watched her with an even, waiting gaze, not moving.

Her tongue darted out to wet her lips, and then with a surge of adrenaline, leaned forward to press their lips together. Afraid of his reaction, she screwed her eyes shut and waited for some kind of reaction.

He seemed stunned, though there couldn't have been any doubt of what she was about to do. Bella began feeling extremely self-conscious as she continued to draw some sort of reaction out of him, and he had yet to move.

But just as she was about to pull away and run from the room so she could have a good cry about what an idiot she'd been, Edward moved.

Whenever Edward moved, he moved with purpose, and this was no exception. Bell's eyes flew open as she felt his reaction, and before she could blink, she was on her back with Edward on top of her. He pinned her wrists on either side of her head, even with her cast, and returned her kiss with such passion that Bella was now the one unable to react.

She recovered quickly, though, and soon matched his feverish pace, kiss for kiss. Their innocent pecks quickly escalated and Bella was gasping for air for other reasons now, barely able to keep up with Edward.

The only word Bella could think of to describe him in that moment was frenzied. He was everywhere - his legs on either side of hers, his chest pressing down on her, his hands grasping hers, and his lips seeking every exposed bit of flesh. At first, she was excited to see Edward let go of himself like this. But when he didn't show any signs of stopping, she began to get nervous. She'd only wanted to kiss him - not go all the way in one night!

She began to try to get him to slow down, by returning his kisses more gently and slowly, but he wasn't having any of that. She began to squirm, to see if she could push him away, but she was firmly anchored to the bed.

"Edward…" her voice meekly called out, "Edward, slow down. You're going to fast for me…you're scaring me."

Edward froze and than sprang back as if he'd been electrocuted. He stared at her with wide eyes, and if Bella didn't know any better, she'd have sworn he was suddenly terrified of her.

He began pacing like a cornered animal, muttering to himself about pheromones and some other kind of nonsense, and then launched himself back out the window like a shot.

Bella raced to the window after him, afraid he'd slip and fall in his unstable state, but he quickly maneuvered his way down the tree without receiving a single scratch and dashed off into the dark night.

"I don't know what happened to me, Jasper," Edward paced the workroom later that night after having confessed to his friend what had happened between himself and Bella while they worked.

"You're only a man," Jasper replied. "It happens. And there was no irreparable damage, right? If anything, it might have even helped you. You've opened the floodgates. While it might be more frustrating for her, knowing what you have to offer and yet she can't have, it's better for the perfume. She'll be producing pheromones like crazy, and that'll do wonderful things for sales.

It was typical of Jasper to think of the marketing side of things, but Edward wouldn't be reassured. "I think I might actually be getting attached to this girl."

Jasper rounded on him and spoke very seriously. "No, you're not. You're drawn to her scent and what that has to offer. You're drawn to the idea of her. You are not attached to her."

Edward struggled to reconcile the difference, and frowned. "I'm not so sure..."

"You have to be sure," he interrupted sharply and grabbed his shoulder. "Because if you are not sure, if there is any doubt in your mind that you'll be able to do what you need to do, you will fail. You will waver, you will make mistakes and you will ruin us."

Edward shook his hand off and glared. "That's not what I'm worried about. I've no doubt I'll be able to finish what I've started."

"Then stop talking about it and help me with Alice's essence. And be careful, don't be taking any of your anger at me out on her." Jasper's brusque tone was negated by the delicate way he handled the material.

Edward studied him for a long moment, watching the way he worked. Then he realized that Jasper didn't rebuke him out of lack of faith, but sympathy.

Jasper had faced the same problem with his Alice.

* * *

**AN - As always, thank you for reading, and thanks to Anechka86 for her awesome support and beta work. **

**Let me know what you think! I love hearing all the theories on this Edward. **:)


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

The next time Bella and Edward met didn't go at all the way she had expected. That being said though, she didn't really know what she expected. After Edward ran out of her room the night before, he texted her a simple and non-explanatory apology, and that was it.

So when he was waiting on the doorstep for her when she was about to leave for class, suffice to say she was a little surprised.

"Edward?"

"Good morning." he greeted her smoothly, as if nothing was wrong.

"Good morning?" she returned with uncertainty, and moved aside to let him in. They stood across from each other in the kitchen. "What are you doing here?"

"I thought I'd give you a lift today. Then after class we can go out to eat or something."

"I'm actually getting my cast off today," she informed him.

"Oh that's right. All the more reason to get out and celebrate, then. I'll take you to the doctor and we'll go from there."

"Can't we just stay in? I kind of wanted to celebrate having the use of both hands again by making dinner."

Edward frowned. "Then it wouldn't be just the two of us, though. What about your dad?"

"Working," she exhaled dramatically, exasperated. "It feels like I haven't seen him for weeks. He thinks they're getting closer to finding those girls, and has been working overtime almost every day."

Edward visibly relaxed and smirked a little. "Alright, I'll let you win this one. But only because I know you're more stubborn than me. And because whatever you make will probably be better than the restaurant anyway."

Bella grinned triumphantly, but the grin faltered when she remember the awkwardness of the night before.

"What is it?" Edward caught her expression and looked concerned.

"About last night," she began.

"You're going to be late for class," Edward cut her off, glancing at his watch, "But we'll talk about it tonight, ok?"

Bella glanced at the clock on the wall and realized he was right. She swore lightly under her breath and tried to push her concerns away for the moment. It was easier to go along with whatever his plan was. As usual.

The ride was surprisingly comfortable. After an embarrassing moment when Edward caught Bella staring at the way he shifted gears, they made small talk about how Bella never learned how to drive a stick shift.

"I just always had an automatic," she explained.

"You haven't driven until you've driven a manual," he said. "It's makes driving more than just steering. You're much more in control." He grinned mischievously, "And it makes speeding even more fun."

She rolled her eyes. "You're going to crash one of these days, or run into a police officer who won't fall for your pretty face or charm. And I'm not going to feel one bit sorry for you."

He laughed. "If that happens, I wouldn't blame you. But still, I'd like to teach you how to drive a manual. Yet another way to celebrate the use of both arms," he suggested.

"I'd like that," she said shyly, eager to live the already rampant fantasies in her mind of Edward's hand over hers as he helped her shift, and of his body leaning close as he gave instructions in that low voice he used when they were near each other.

They arrived on campus then, and Edward let Bella out while he went to park and she hurried off to class. Thanks to his speeding, she was just on time. Perhaps there were some merits to his obstinence.

Unfortunately, Edward wasn't able to meet her after class after all, due to some business matters, he said. But he promised he'd take her home so she could get her car and drive herself to the doctor. She told him not to worry about it, and hitched a ride with Angela, who'd been wanting to tell her about her developing relationship.

That night, Bella was still in the process of making dinner when Edward knocked on the door. She called for him to come in, and as he did, he glanced at the tv in the living room, which was currently tuned to the evening news.

"I thought your dad wasn't going to be here," he commented casually, though he jaw was tight.

"He's not, I just wanted some background noise while I worked."

"And you couldn't have picked something more cheerful?"

She shrugged. "I wanted to know if there have been any developments."

"Have there been?"

"Nothing yet, and there probably won't be tonight. I'll turn it off when I'm done in here. Can you set the plates for me, please? They're over there."

He complied and the kitchen was silent save for the sizzle of the frying pan and the weather announcement drifting in from the living room.

By the time they were both seated and the dishes served, the anchor was down to a story about a local elementary school washing cars as a fundraiser for new library books. Bella resigned herself to the fact that there would be nothing new tonight, and got up to find the remote to switch the tv off.

No sooner had she sat back down with the remote in hand did the words "Breaking News" flash across the bottom of the screen. She saw Edward tense up out of the corner of her eye, and blamed it on the irritation of being interrupted.

"I've just been notified of a recent development believed to be related to the recent slew of kidnapped girls," the man announced. "Earlier today, a body was found at the South Seattle Dump, and has been identified as one of the girls. Her name has not been released to the public while they contact her family. Police are currently combing the dump for any more information, and have not commented on whether or not they believe they will find any more victims. We will keep you informed as more develops."

Edward had gone rigid at Bella's side. She clicked the tv off without a word, and the silence seem to wake him up. He abruptly stood, announcing that he needed to call Jasper.

"Of course," Bella said. "He'll want to know if there's anything about Alice."

He grunted, clearly distracted, and went outside to make the call. Bella wanted to give him his privacy and tried not to eavesdrop but his voice carried just a little too well and was clearly agitated.

"Of course I did! … Yes I'm sure. … No, they shouldn't. … Yes, I'm sure." The clips of conversation meant nothing to Bella, but her ears perked up when she heard her name. "I'm at Bella's now. … No. … Yeah, it'll have to be soon…" he trailed off and Bella glanced out the window to see he'd wandered over to his car. She couldn't imagine what he'd need in there right that moment.

She watched, her dinner forgotten and curiosity peaked. He seemed to be looking for something, but she couldn't figure out what. He even looked in the trunk extensively. After several minutes, though, he apparently gave up, and returned to the house empty handed, hanging up the phone before coming back inside.

"I hate to say this, but I really should get to the shop. Jasper heard about the body on the radio, and he's not taking it well. "Edward looked worried. "Can I have a raincheck for dinner?"

"Of course." Bella was disappointed, but understood.

"And," he hesitated, "I hate to ask, but will you come with me? I don't like the idea of you being here alone, knowing that at least one of those girls was killed." One hand was in his hair, tugging anxiously.

"I'm home alone all the time," she protested, too surprised at his sudden request to form a better answer.

"That's what makes me so nervous."

He had a point. And if the killer or kidnapper or whoever knew her habits at all, she'd be an easy target. "Alright. I don't know that I'll be any help to Jasper, though."

"It'll help me, knowing you're safe with us." He smiled at her, and she felt she made the right choice.

They quickly packed dinner away into tupperware containers and Bella scribbled a note to her father, telling him not to worry and that she went to a friend's house because she didn't want to be home alone. She purposely didn't specify which friend, hoping he'd assume Angela, in an attempt to avoid the awkwardness and uncomfortable questioning about Edward. Her father was still in the dark about her dating life.

The ride over was quiet and tense. Bella could almost feel Edward's brain racing. "What are you thinking?" she blurted our when she couldn't take the silence anymore.

He glanced at her sideways and raised an eyebrow.

"I mean," she tried to clarify, "Obviously you're worried about Jasper, but that's not all, is it?"

He sighed. "You are a clever thing sometimes," he said affectionately. "Yes, I'm worried about him, but also about you. I was trying to think of a way to help you without you getting angry at me. You don't make that easy for me sometimes."

"Sorry."

"I usually don't mind," he forced a grin. "I like that you're feisty." This got her to smile, with a bit of a blush. "But I'll need to talk to Jasper before I can really decide anything, and see where he's at. He can get really… invested sometimes."

"And he's invested in Alice?" she surmised.

"You could say that," he paused. "But then you'd also have to say I'm investing in you, if we're being honest with each other."

Bella's cheeks were bright pink by then, and she lost all ability to form a coherent sentence. Luckily she was saved from having to speak by their arrival at the shop. She could see that Jasper had already closed down for the day by the looks of the darkened windows and empty car lot.

"Why don't you wait upstairs while I assess the situation," he suggested.

"What's upstairs?" She'd only ever gone to the workshop in the basement. It always surprised Bella when she realized how little she knew about Edward's life sometimes.

"We've got an apartment up there."

"You live here?" And I never knew?" She was shocked. "How is that possible?"

"I thought you knew," he dismissed it. "I guess it just never came up. Just wait up there for a bit, ok? Help yourself to whatever you'd like in the kitchen and feel free to use the tv or something. I'll try not to be too long, but you never know with Jasper."

They parted at the stairs, where Edward watched Bella go up and safely enter his apartment before turning to tend to his friend.

Bella opened the door cautiously, unsure of what she'd find. Her first impression was that the apartment was small, but clean. From the entry, she could see the living room and kitchen, both of which were fairly sparse. She peeked in the refrigerator and was surprised to see it well stocked with good food, and not just beer, as she'd seen in other bachelor pads. She took a bottle of water and took a long drink, hoping it would help her queasy stomach.

Then she moved her investigation to the back half of the apartment. The first door led to a small bathroom, also surprisingly clean. The next room looked to be Jasper's, judging by a few pictures on his dresser. She quickly closed the door, feeling invasive, and moved on. That left Edward's room, which she felt she had free rein to explore.

Her eyes were instantly drawn to the far wall, which was covered with notes and pictures, most of which looked to be ideas for scents. She couldn't make much sense of the chaos, but she could see how it might work for Edward.

After a few minutes spent perusing that wall, she moved to sit on his unmade bed. It was the one thing that made the room look like it belonged to someone and not like a workspace or office, which Bella found comforting. As soon as she sat down, something caught her attention from the corner of her eye - a piece of red fabric that looked eerily familiar.

She leaned over and pulled it out from where it was half hidden under the pillow and held it out in front of her.

It was her red shirt, the one that had gone missing weeks ago.

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**AN: Dun dun dun. Thanks for reading and let me know what you think!**

**Thanks always to Adair7 and Anechka86 for beta-ing.  
**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

Bella held the crumpled shirt in her hands as she ran out the door. She had no idea what it was doing in Edward's room but was determined to find out.

Despite how bad it looked, part of her couldn't help but hope there was a reasonable explanation for why he would need a woman's shirt. She wracked her brain, trying to come up with one for him as she pounded down the stairs. Maybe he needed it to look like there was a woman living there - or at least sleeping - to fend off unwanted advances. That seemed unlikely, given the shirt was half hidden on his bed. Maybe he needed her size for something? That seemed even more ridiculous. He could easily just ask her, or even just look at the shirt's tag without taking it and hoarding it away in his room. Bella couldn't think of anything else. At least, nothing else that didn't suggest his cheating on her and needing a spare shirt for his nightly guests. It looked bad for Edward.

More negative possibilities flew through her thoughts. He was secretly a cross-dresser. He was gay after all and was only using her as a cover. The possibilities got more and more ludicrous after each step, but Bella couldn't stop the sick feeling in her gut from taking hold of her.

Foregoing knocking and any and all polite niceties, she threw open the door to the workroom, ready to barge right in.

Instead, she gasped and froze in her tracks, all movement halted as if time itself had stopped.  
Edward and Jasper were standing in front of one of the large tanks that were usually covered, their backs to the door. At Bella's gasp, though, they both spun around instantly. Edward's face transformed to one of pure terror and Jasper's to absolute anger.

Because today, the tank was not covered, and its contents were on display.

Bella couldn't tear her eyes away from it. The liquid that filled it was murky, with pieces of various plants or former flowers drifted lazily in the dark tank, and though it was unclear what the plants were, the shape floating in the center was unmistakable.

A human girl. Even wrapped in thin material as she was, there was no denying that shape.

And by the slight frame and short cropped hair that curled and waved around her head like a sickly halo, Bell was fairly positive she knew who this girl was.

She started backing up, wide-eyed and stunned, the shirt in her hands completely forgotten. Edward seemed frozen in place, but Jasper sprang into action. He lunged toward Bella, looking half-crazed, but his movement seemed to break Edward out of his shock.

"Get out of here!" He shouted at Bella to run and managed to catch Jasper just before Jasper caught her.

She tried to shake off her paralysis, but was transfixed by the tank, like a mouse in the eyes of a snake. Or perhaps a mouse looking at another mouse already halfway down the snake's throat.

Then everything moved so quickly that by the time she processed everything, it was already over, and Jasper was pinned to the ground with Edward twisting his arm back to keep him down.

"Get back upstairs," Edward grunted to Bella.

"Are you crazy?" she shrieked. "I'm going home! Or to the police! I'm not staying here!"

"Get. Back. Upstairs." He commanded in a low voice. "Bella, I'm serious. That will be the safest place for you right now," he voice changed to pleading. "Please, Bella."

"How the hell is anywhere near here safe?"

"Please just trust me on this," he begged, "I'll explain everything if you'll just wait upstairs."

"There is a dead girl in there," she hissed. "Alice is in there."

Jasper thrashed harder at the girl's name, and Edward struggled to keep him down.

"I can explain all of it, I swear. Please…just…if you ever cared about me at all, please just go upstairs."

Bella flinched as if she'd been physically slapped. "The person I though I cared about doesn't exist," she said coldly.

Edward recoiled slightly, pain written across his features and Bella instantly regretted her words.

"I'm sorry," she murmured softly, but made no indication that she would stay or even that she didn't mean her harsh words.

"Please," Edward pleaded one last time, fixing his piercing eyes on hers.

Bella knew accepting his offer would be a mistake, but when he looked at her like that and her heart tugged like so, there was nothing she could do. She was truly powerless against him.

"Alright," she resigned.

"Thank you," he said quietly. Jasper had stopped struggling, and the room was eerily silent, save for their voices and the sound of the liquid in the tanks. "I'll be up soon."

She tore her gaze away and ran from the room.

As soon as he heard the door shut, Jasper shook himself free from Edward's slackened grip. "You should have done it then," he accused. "You've gone soft. You know there's no way she can leave now, right?"

"Yes," Edward sighed. "But you know as well as I that she'd be no good if she died terrified. All those fear-induced chemicals in her blood would ruin the scent."

"You could've been fast enough that she wouldn't have known until she was already dead. Or done it earlier, when I suggested."

"What's done is done," Edward concluded. "And I'll do what I need to do, but the pheromones produced when a woman is being pleasured would make the scent so much sweeter.

Jasper frowned. "You think you'll be able to get anywhere near her now?"

Edward smirked. "It won't be a problem."

Meanwhile, Bella was pacing anxiously up and down the stairs to Edward's apartment. Her thought were racing out of control as she tried to firmly convince herself either to stay or to go, not waffle between the two.

_'He could have killed you at any time,' _she told herself. _'If he wanted you dead, you'd probably already be rotting away by now.'_

_'But there was a dead girl down there that he has some kind of connection to. You can't ignore that.'_

_'I don't know the whole story yet. Maybe there is a real explanation.'_

_'There is not good explanation for a dead body!'_

_'It's Edward, though!' _That was actually the strongest argument. Simply "It's Edward." He'd been with her nearly every minute of every day since they'd met. How would he have been able to hide something like this from her? She decided to wait nervously, counting down the minutes. As time trickled slowly by, her resolve began to weaken again.

Maybe she didn't know him as well as she thought she did. Maybe he was capable of hiding something like this from her. Maybe this was who he really was, and the man she thought she knew was all a charade.

She was just about to leave when Edward burst through the door, looking just as anxious and scared as she felt.

"Bella," he breathed and stepped forward to embrace her.

She let him, welcoming the familiar feel of his arms bring her some sense of comfort.

"Please tell me what's going on," she mumbled into his shoulder.

"Are you okay?" he asked in lieu of an answer, still holding her tightly.

"No. Edward. No, I'm not. Please tell me what's going on."

"I need for you to be okay first. How can I make you ok?"

"By telling me what's going on!" she shouted, exasperated and pulling away.

Despite the gravity of the situation, he chuckled and kept holding her close. "Then we're at an impasse, it seems."

She tried to pull away again, but he held fast.

"What if I told you about last night?"

Bella stopped struggling. "It might help."

He continued to hold her, stroking her hair gently as he spoke, her body gradually relaxing against his.

"Firstly, you did absolutely nothing wrong. That's important for you to know."

She didn't say anything, so he continued.

"If anything, you were doing too much right." He smiled to himself. "You already know I can be a passionate person. Sometimes that passion gets to be too much, even for me." He pressed his lips gently against her temple. "So I had to leave, and I'm very sorry I did so without explaining why to you properly."

Bella pulled back just enough to look in his eyes, to make sure he was serious. His eyes were dark an penetrating, as if he could see right through her. Bella's eyes, on the other hand, were still cautious and unbelieving.

"Hmmm," Edward studied her. "Maybe I need to show you. I'll show you how passionate I can be. Why I had to stop for fear of scaring you away or making a terrible mistake. How I want to you keep you near me for always."

She shivered as his breath ghosted down her neck and across her throat.

"Can I show you, Isabella?"

"Please," was all she could answer. She was feeling reckless and drunk on adrenaline from her fright and was too stunned to remember how his intensity almost scared her the last time. She needed to be reassured of Edward's affection for her and obsessive care for her well-being and she didn't care what it cost her.

That "please" was all that Edward needed.

Bella remembered the fire in his kisses from last night - it was impossible to forget - but she had forgotten the strength.

His grip was firm as he pressed their two bodies together, and Bella was startlingly aware of every place they touched, as she had been before. One hand was low on her back, pulling her hips to his, while the other was at the nape of her neck, cradling her firmly. The former burned through the thin material of her shirt, leaving her feeling branded and possessed.

Her own arms had been wedged between their chests from when she'd tried to push away, and now they were still trapped, useless as Edward gripped her tight.

She could feel his heart pounding, mirroring her own, and he hadn't even kissed her lips yet. Instead, he seemed to be focused on making her as weak as possible by kissing her neck, throat, and jawline, areas that had proved to make her legs feel like jelly.

A distant part of her mind became aware of the fact that she was moving now, shuffling backwards until her knees hit the armrest of the couch.

As he continued to push her back, she fell across the couch, and suddenly she didn't care about anything else. She didn't care about the fact that she should probably slow down or be scared of that look in his eyes or the disaster waiting downstairs. All she cared about was the feel of his lips.

He devoured her, his kiss addictive and she was utterly lost.

It was what he was waiting for.

Edward was not as lost in the moment as Bella was. No, he was in flawless control of his every move. Every touch was calculated and every kiss was carefully given. The way his hands moved up her body was perfectly planned, from the way his feather-light touch took her breath away, to the way his hands held his weight as he crawled onto the couch to hover over her.

First his hands cradled her face as he took breathless kiss after breathless kiss, then he let her feel the full weight of his body. Then those hands subtly shifted downward and encircled her throat.

And then he began to squeeze.

Bella let out a choked squeak in surprise and her eyes flew open, but Edward only applied more pressure. His body securely pinned her below him, and her arms were still trapped between their chests.

He continued to pepper light kisses across her face as she tried to push him away, her movements and eyes growing more frantic as his hands held on tight.

She opened her mouth to scream, but couldn't get enough air to make a sound. She tried thrashing, kicking, anything to get him off, but he was too big and she was growing weaker by the second.

As her motions slowed, so did Edward's kisses. He held himself carefully over her body, watching Bella's face. Her eyelids fluttered shut as the veins behind her skin turned blue and tiny red spots dotted her face from the broken blood vessels.

Then, she stopped moving entirely.

Edward didn't stop squeezing until he felt her throbbing pulse sputter and die.

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**AN - There's one more chapter after this, along with some notes about the story as a whole. I'd love to hear your reactions, as always. Thanks for reading, and thanks to Anechka and Adair for the beta-ing. **


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

Bella Swan was dead.

Edward wasted no time, and climbed off the couch to scoop her up in his arms. She hung limply as he carried her down the steps and into the workroom, where he passed Jasper, and laid her out on a table.

"You did it," Jasper observed from behind him.

"Of course I did. Were you really that concerned?"

"I will admit that I had my doubts," Jasper replied with a smirk.

"Now you see that they were unnecessary." Edward spoke without anger, but there was a tension in his steady voice. "I knew I would complete my task. Her scent had to be preserved and shared. A scent like that is wasted otherwise."

"You don't need to lecture me, Edward. I'm the one who introduced you to that philosophy, remember?"

Edward's lips stretched into a tight grin, "I remember. And if I remember correctly, my discovery of said philosophy was similar to the shock Bella had tonight."

"Only you were much less panicky," Jasper smiled fondly. "Although I think that might have had something to do with your dislike for the girl."

Edward laughed weakly, remembering. He'd only just started working for Jasper, hoping to pick up some extra money as a cashier, and stumbled upon Jasper's secret when Edward went down to the workroom to look for the broom that was usually in the closet on the main floor.

Instead, he found Jasper with Victoria, a women in her late thirties who'd been hanging around the store far too often for Edward's liking. He didn't know what it was about her, but she always managed to irritate him, much to Jasper's amusement. She had a way of speaking that grated Edward's nerves; her high-pitched bubblegum voice didn't match the mature woman she appeared to be, and seemed to him to reveal what a cougar she was.

He'd always wondered if there had been something going on between her and Jasper, but when he caught them in the workroom, it wasn't at all what he had expected.

While Victoria was in a state of undress, she was also not breathing. Jasper had just began to clean her when Edward discovered them, and instead of running for his life, Edward simply demanded to know what was going on.

Jasper explained while he worked, and Edward watched in morbid fascination.

Five signature scents later, Edward was comfortable in his work and his belief that beauty should be preserved and shared.

Jasper left him alone then in order to tie up loose ends and cover their tracks. It was routine by now, and though he really had little to do in this case, he knew Edward preferred to work alone at this stage.

As the door fell shut, Edward was left to work in solitude, with only the soft echoes of his footsteps as he moved for company.

First, he stripped the body bare for cleaning. He put the clothes in a trash bag to be burned later. After filling a large bowl with water and gathering a washcloth soaped up with Bella's favorite brand, he began to rub down every inch of her body. He'd preferred this sponge bath method to Jasper's more traditional bath because he felt that when the body soaked in the bathwater, it became tainted by the washed off filth. And he couldn't have anything taint his work.

He regarded the body in front of him clinically, marveling in the human form and admiring its curves and dips. Everything about it seemed soft, from the roundness of her face to the satiny feel of her skin.

The body was still warm and Edward needed to work quickly before it cooled too much. He had only a few hours before rigor mortis set in and noticeable decomposition began, and he needed that body in his vat before that could start.

Methodically he cleaned every part of her, saving the hair for last, taking great pleasure in tangling his fingers in the soapy strands.

When he was satisfied that it was sufficiently clean, he dried it off and wrapped her body tightly in a thin, cloth-like material to keep any contaminates out.

Before he finished, though, he watched her face for a long time, as if waiting for her to wake up. Logically, he knew that she never would, but she looked so peaceful and lovely that it reminded him of those times he snuck into her bedroom to watch over her as she slept.

Finally, with one last chaste kiss on her cool lips, he sealed her away.

He scooped her up, carried her over to the tank, and gently lowered her inside. The liquid barely rippled as he broke the surface. He waited for the body to settle, the weight he'd tied to her ankle pulling the body downward.

Once he was satisfied with the body's positioning, he consulted his notes and began adding and mixing various other extracts that he'd prepared earlier.

Then, the only thing left for him to do was wait.

The following few weeks, all he did was work and wait. There was a flurry of activity in the first few days directly following Bella's disappearance, but Edward all but confined himself to his workroom when not actively involved with the search.

Chief Swan interrogated Edward, Jasper, Angela, and anyone else who knew her, but never found any leads. On that day Bella disappeared, she left him a note telling him that she was going to a friends' house, but never mentioned which friend. Angela said she'd been out with her boyfriend, and Edward said he saw her earlier in the day, but the last time he saw her was when the parted ways after her class so that she could go to the doctor. Jasper backed his story up, saying they'd both been working, and they had security tapes to prove it. The police didn't know the tapes were actually fakes planted by Jasper to cover their tracks. This wasn't the first time the two men had needed to prove their "innocence."

As for Edward, he appeared to be heartbroken. He was never seen in the shop, save for the days he was working on or promoting Bella's perfume. He made it well known that her scent was dedicated to her and her memory and that he couldn't have made it without her. Bella's father did everything he could to find her again, and was initially very hopeful.

Chief Swan even went to the perfume shop of the day of the new perfume's release. Edward had told him that he had been working on a scent for Bella long before she disappeared and wanted to go through with it in her honor.

He was first in line, looking a little teary as Edward rung him up at the register.

"You did a good job, kid," he said roughly. "I can't think of anything but her when I smell that. I'm sure she'd love it."

"Thank you, sir. I really appreciate it."

Edward's face had been the perfect mask of a man doing business, but he allowed that mask to crack for just a moment, and Charlie saw the grieving boy behind it.

"Don't give up hope," he said.

"No," was all Edward replied, and Charlie wasn't sure if that was a "No, I won't give up hope," or a "No, there is no hope left," or something else entirely.

After accepting the bag with his purchase inside, he lingered in the shop just a moment longer, watching as others appreciated the memory and beauty of his daughter as he knew she always deserved.

Charlie couldn't ignore the way Edward completely threw himself into the search for Bella. It would have been almost easy for him to fall of the radar after the initial interrogation, but Edward was constantly calling the Chief, asking for any new information. Eventually Charlie had to request that Edward stop calling, and wait until he was contacted with any new information.

Edward obediently stopped calling, but became even more reclusive as the search continued.

Bella's truck had been found on campus a week after her scent's release, which sparked Charlie's hope again, but it proved to be nothing more than a dead end. It was clean of everything but Bella herself, and utterly useless in the investigation. It was in a busy parking lot, and no one knew anything about the driver or when it was left.

The investigation was at a standstill, and unlike all those shows on television, no leads were turning up.

The body found in the dumpster the day Bella had disappeared had initially led the police to be optimistic, but only proved to be another dead end. The body was too contaminated to determine what was actually evidence, and what had simply been picked up at the site. In the end, all it did was convince most people that Bella was dead and gone for good. Bella's body was yet to be found, but no one had much hope for its discovery. The other girls that had gone missing were still unaccounted for, after all.

Those that actually knew Bella also started to grow suspicious of the whole case, overly paranoid that things just didn't add up. Many found it hard to believe that so many girls could go missing without a substantial clue, and thought that Bella was too intelligent to be reckless with her safety.

Mike, in particular, was particularly harsh. He was overheard hypothesizing loudly in a local coffee shop.

"There's no way Cullen isn't involved somehow!" He all but shouted at Angela, drawing the attention of everyone in earshot. "You know how much _she_ changed after she started dating him."

"Mike..." Angela sounded tired, as if they'd had this conversation a hundred times and she'd grown weary of defending Edward.

"I don't care if he's got an alibi. I don't trust that bastard."

Angela didn't have anything more to say.

It wasn't long before Edward and Jasper closed the shop and relocated to New York, where they'd apparently found a better business opportunity. Rumors floated around that he was simply too busy mourning over Bella that he needed a complete change of scenery. Others said that he'd simply used her and felt guilty for it once she'd disappeared.

But in actuality, Edward found peace in the streets of New York. He would prowl the streets at night, waiting for something, though he wasn't sure what.

Until one night, when a tall strawberry blond caught his attention.

He was sitting a coffee shop, one of those generic ones you can find on any corner, when she passed by him. She smelled like coffee and spice, and oozed flirty confidence. Standing up quickly, he quickly positioned himself in her way so that when she breezed by, she knocked into him and his coffee splashed out of his mug and onto his hand.

He hissed when the hot liquid made contact, and the blond spun around to face him.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," she hurried to say. "I didn't even see you there."

"It's ok," he swiped a napkin from the table and quickly dried his hands. "It gives me a chance to talk to a beautiful girl. I'm Edward."

She looked at him cynically, and he suspected that she realized she'd been set up. But he grinned innocently, and she felt drawn to him. "Tanya," she said.

"Nice to meet you, Tanya. And… this might be a little strange to ask, but what perfume are you wearing? It's divine."

"Divine, huh?" She raised an eyebrow. "Who talks like that? And I go _au naturale_, no perfume for me."

"Oh really?" He grinned again, "Well, you're a smart woman. I'd like to tell you about what I do for a living…"

**The End **

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_A/N First and foremost, I want to thank my awesome betas, Anechka86 and Adair7, and those of you that have stuck with me._

_The point of this fic to me, was to highlight all of Edward's creepy characteristics. The stalking, the controlling, the obsessive over-protectiveness, it's all from the books. It's just not quite so charming when he's a human. And the same for the murders - canon!Edward has killed people, but that's so often just overlooked that I wanted to play around with all of that._

_Secondly, I did something similar with Bella. My Bella didn't do anything canon!Bella wouldn't have done. She overlooked Edward's creep factor and ignored the fact that he was a killer. I just put a different spin on things and put them in a new light._

_And lastly, I do have something in mind for a new fic. It's still very much in the works/planning stage, so I won't say a lot about it. But it is considerably lighter than this. I think I'm gonna go back to some fluff a la Red Strings of Fate for a little bit. :)_

_Once again, thank you so much for reading!_


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